Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
by Miranda Flairgold
Summary: AU FINISHED! Harry's 5th year, mysterious OoP, Sirius's trial, new powers, responsibilities, dangers, tons of fighting, jokes and-of course, old Voldie YOU LOVE IT! REVIEW! It's really long. Read this BEFORE reading World of War
1. Default Chapter

1 Chapter 1  
  
Harry walked into the house, careful not to track any mud in with him. He was at the Dursley's for the whole summer. He couldn't go to the Weasely's, for some reason no one had told him, that bothered him a bit…but there wasn't much he could do. The summer had been complete boredom until a martial arts and fencing gym moved into the vacant building behind the Dursley's house. Harry spent all the time he had learning what he could, knowing how to defend himself without a wand sounded useful. Dudley was taking lessons there, but Harry wasn't allowed to. Instead he spent the days outside watching Dudley's class through a window that was always open. If the Dursley's wouldn't let him take the class one way then he'd find another. Besides, this was a good way to keep his mind off the almost constant pain in his forehead. There was a constant pain in his scar, like it was being deeply scratched with needles all the time. Occasionally the pain became more severe, once or twice he'd collapsed from agony and one time, just the day before, he'd lost consciousness completely. Harry did his best to keep the Dursley's from knowing about the pains in his scar, he'd taught himself not to scream when he woke up from dreams feeling like a hot brand was on his forehead. Over the summer the amount of pain issuing from his scar had steadily increased. He wasn't sure what it meant, but he'd told Sirius about it. Harry trained himself as often as possible, which was most of the day, as long as the Durselys didn't see it was okay. So far he had progressed far beyond Dudley, who couldn't walk halfway around the block without breathing hard. Harry went up to his room, Hedwig sat in her cage, Harry wrinkled his nose and threw the dead mouse on the floor out the window. She had never learned not to bring home her dead prey. The Dursley's had left for the rest of the day, after threatening Harry with decapitation if anything unusual happened. So he had the house to himself for a change. Harry opened his dresser, hidden in the back was a lock pick. Making sure the Dursley's car wasn't in the driveway he went down to get his stuff.  
  
Harry spent the rest of the day studying, he'd taken about 30 books out of the library, having memorized all the spells in them he'd traded with Hermione, who had taken out 10. Having just finished with these Harry was going through all his school books, making sure he knew every spell mentioned. He'd made his own book, with notes on all the spells he knew and the ones he'd learned over the summer. The book was now 350 pages long and he intended to memorize every book in the library at school once he got back. There were some difficult ones that he wasn't sure if he could do, but he had decided to try them all.  
  
Late that night Harry was sitting in his room, polishing his wand. Or rather, he had been polishing it. Then he'd fallen into a sort of trance, trying his hardest to control the agony, which had suddenly washed over him. Harry started and came out of his trance with a jump, the pain was gone, for now. Taking a quick look at the clock he saw that it was 11:58, two more minutes till he was 15. He put away his wand and the polish under his bed. RAP! Harry looked up and opened the window for four owls and an eagle. The first owl dropped its letter on his head and soared out again. The others waited to have packages untied. Harry nervously went to the eagle, its talons were huge and looked extremely sharp. It had already hit one owl (pig) over the head for flying into it. Harry slowly reached out, the eagle stayed still. It let him untie that package on its leg before leaving. With a sigh of relief Harry turned to the other owls, one was Ron's owl Pig, the Eagle had been from Sirius, and the first had been the form from Hogwarts. That meant the others were from Hermione and Hagrid. Harry started with his letter from school. It was a lot bigger then normally. He opened it, it had the usual list of books and supplies then came the interesting part. Batting pig out of his way Harry read.  
  
Dear Harry,  
  
You have been chosen as one of the Gryffindor house Prefects. Congratulations! The other prefects are Hermione Granger, Ron Weasely. Your badge must be worn at all times, except for quidditch matches. The first day of school there will be a meeting of all the prefects in the staff room right before lunch. The new password to Gryffindor tower is Bravery.  
  
Sincerely,  
  
Prof. McGonagal  
  
Harry looked in the second envelope that had been inside the first. His prefect badge had a red and gold Gryffindor lion over a purple H under the word PREFECT, also in purple. Next was the list of supplies.  
  
Fifth year students will require.  
  
Four sets of robes (black)  
  
One set of dress robes  
  
Wand  
  
Caldron (Pewter size 18)  
  
One set of healing ingredients (set 4)  
  
One set of muggle clothes, dark green or blue. (Can be bought in Madam Malkin's Robe shop)  
  
Standard book of spells grade five  
  
Advanced Potion volume 1  
  
Defend yourself against dark magics  
  
Transfiguration Guide  
  
  
  
Next he turned to the eagle's letter and package, Sirius's letter read.  
  
Dear Harry,  
  
I hope you've had an okay summer, try to be patient with the muggles. I've captured Wormtail, and asked for a trial. I went to the Aurors first though, they believed me, I was after all an Auror before being sent to Azkaban. They've pulled some strings at the Ministry, Fudge was powerless to stop them. The right people are very much in control now, and will remain so until my trial is over. Since you are a part of it you'll be asked ot come. Mundungus Fletcher will arrive in two weeks and bring you to the Auror Court. After the trial, regardless of result, you'll go to Hogwarts for the remainder of the summer.  
  
Look at your present, it should help you remember any dreams you have. Just sleep with it under your pillow each night. It's very powerful and will be able to record any dreams of Voldemort or his supporters that you may have. It records dreams as they are, not in writing but in pictures, like muggle movies. To see a dream you don't remember just tap it with your wand and say replay. When you get to Hogwarts I'm sure that Dumbledore will want to see any dreams you've had. Don't worry about using magic, the ministry won't detect the magic used for this. See you soon.  
  
  
  
Thank you,  
  
1.1 Sirius  
  
Harry look at the parchment, it was pure white and the edges were blue. Harry put Sirius's letter on his dresser, it certainly was the longest letter he'd ever gotten from Sirius. He put the dream recorder under his pillow and turned to Ron's present. Ron sent him a very large cupcake and a set of ten quills, you could suck on them during class, each had a different taste, and you couldn't taste any ink. Hermione sent him a book of useful charms, jinxes, curses, and hexes. Hagrid had sent him a never- melting ice cream cake, a dozen cookies, an apple pie and a Magical Animal Identification book. Harry was relieved to see food, Dudley was still on a diet, he'd lost twenty pounds over the year, but he was still too big for a normal chair. Harry flipped through the book quickly, suddenly Hedwig woke and gave a small hoot. Harry put everything under his bed as he heard Dudley wake. After a second he realized that Dudley was just talking in his sleep and relaxed.  
  
That night Harry was almost eager to dream, he wanted to see if Sirius's gift really worked. On the other hand that pain that went with his dreams was awful. He didn't have long to wait, he was barely asleep when he felt his mind seized by the dreams. This time he was watching a Ministry meeting.  
  
The Minister was speaking, "how can he be back?" His voice was filled with pleading, hoping that someone would say it was all just a joke. An old Ministry member stood up to speak, he looked angry.  
  
"Minister can you deny the evidence? Prof. Dumbledore gave the story of what happened to Harry Potter last year at the end of the Tri Wizard Tournament while under two truth spells and Veritaserum. How could he lie? Then there's that attack a week ago, three squibs and one muggle killed. What about Bertha Jorkins? Barty Crouch? His son? Dumbledore gave us the whole story yet you still say that it's just a bunch of lunatics thinking he-who-must-not-be-named has returned, or lies! Admit it, you're scared of loosing your position, you don't care what happens so long as it doesn't harm you!" The Minister looked pitiful under the glares of the 24 others at the meeting. Arthur Weasely stood up.  
  
"We must turn to the aurors for help, they stood by us until you started this silly nonsense about Voldemort's return as a plot to get at you. If you are not willing to help, to save wizarding kind then I suggest that we pick a new Minister, a better one!" Cheers rang out in the meeting hall. A young Ministry member on the Minister's left held up a hand.  
  
"We'll vote on the matter. Those who think that we ought to elect a new Minister raise your hands." Every hand but three went up. 51 to 3. Lucious Malfoy, Macnair, and one other sat still. Fudge trembled in his seat, frightened. The Ministry member on Arthur Weasely's right stood to speak but Harry's dreams didn't wait. They brought him ahead in time, now the building was filled with people, standing on platforms in front of them were four people. Arthur Weasely, Malfoy, and two others. Harry tried to read the names written on the front of the platforms, but there were to many people in the way. Looking at the two he didn't know Harry realized that one of them was familiar. Then the man turned so Harry could see his face, it was one of the death eaters he'd seen the year before. He was missing a chip from his ear on his left side. The crowd watching quieted. A Ministry member standing in front of the four people called for silence and began.  
  
"It has been three days since we decided to elect a new Minister, due to Cornilius Fudge's incapability to handle he-who-must-not-be-named's return. The entire Wizarding World has voted, the results are in and I'm proud to announce that the new Minister of Magic is Arthur Weasely!" The people erupted into cheers, the other three candidates looked unhappy, but the one Harry didn't recognize was shaking Arthur's hand. Malfoy and his fellow death eater were glaring at Mr. Weasely. The Ministry member called for silence again. Harry could see the dark mark burning into Mr. Malfoy's arm. The other death eater left as quietly as possible, walking toward the nearest exit. Mr. Malfoy stayed where he was, the fact that the death eater had not apparated out but had walked told Harry that it was impossible to apparate into or out of this building. He looked back at the meeting, and man he didn't know had come to the center of the floor. "Members of the Ministry, you have elected a new Minister, who will hopefully take Voldemort seriously. I have been sent to represent the aurors in dealing with you. We have watched the rest of the wizarding world since Voldemort's downfall and we have plans for keeping him from taking over. These involve recruiting anyone who is willing to fight, there are not many of us left, we have had a hard time finding new ones until very recently since people don't think that we are needed anymore. I know many of you are parents and you are concerned for your children, most of whom attend Hogwarts. Rest assured that all the enchantments protecting the school have been strengthened, the new DADA teacher and the new Care of Magical Creatures teacher are both Aurors of high rank and ability.  
  
We will be talking with Albus Dumbledore, headmaster of Hogwarts on other plans. We suggest for your safety that you keep away from hooded strangers and go nowhere without making sure that help will be nearby. We'll be meeting with the Ministry members privately over the next few months to arrange Dark Mark checks on everyone and protection spells against capture. You will see agents occasionally patrolling around everywhere in the wizarding world, please try to not hinder them and assist if needed, good luck to you all." He walked over to the new Minister and everyone began to leave. Harry felt a sharp pain across his scar and woke with a start.  
  
Harry completely forgot about his dream after he checked it again using the replay spell. He spent the day finishing a little homework and teaching Hedwig to fetch.  
  
Late that evening Harry went outside, while he'd been at school a fence had been erected around the back of the house and on the sides. He could practice quidditch here at night and be sure no one could see him. The yard was about 30 yards by 20 yards so he had plenty of room. The fence was wood and about six inches think. There was not a single opening in between the boards. The boards were at an angle so each one overlapped the end of the one before it. The fence was nearly eight feet high so Harry didn't have to worry about anyone looking over. The houses on either side were one story and didn't have any windows, or very few, on the side near the Dursley's house. Harry used glow-in-the-dark gold balls which he would throw and catch. Since it was no challenge to throw a golf ball and fly to where he could catch it Harry had started to teach himself some of the more dangerous seeker moves. He'd get up to top speed and roll over, kneel on his broom, dive at the ground to practice quick turns, and a variety of other things. When Harry had first asked the Dursley's if he could practice flying by night they had been shocked and angry. "And risk the neighbors finding out about your abnormality?????" Uncle Vernon had roared at him. Harry had explained that if he didn't fly his broom for at least seven hours a week it would start flying around of its own accord uncontrollably.  
  
"Then why hasn't it done that before?" Vernon had asked nastily, though he'd been very pale at the idea of a out-of-control broom.  
  
"Because this is a new broom, my godfather gave it to me, it's the best type of broom there is, very fast and very high strung." Harry had replied, trying to keep a straight face, Dudley had nearly wet himself when Harry mentioned his broom going haywire.  
  
"Fine, but it had better not go…go haywire anyway boy! And if the neighbors say just one word…!" He left the rest unsaid, Harry grinned, since he'd learned to pick a lock they couldn't lock him up anymore, though they'd probably bar up his window and lock him in as best they could. Since then he'd been allowed to fly for two hours on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, and one hour on Wednesday.  
  
Late that night Harry went to bed, if you could call it that. Every half an hour or so he woke up, sweating from pain, it had been like this for three weeks now. He got what sleep he could and suffered through the rest. Hedwig hooted from her cage, Harry sighed and got up. No use trying to go back to sleep for half an hour, or until the pain eased enough to. Pacing back and forth Harry thought angrily, it wasn't fair, he hadn't done anything to deserve this almost constant pain. 


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2  
  
Mundungus Fletcher turned out to be a gray haired wizard in his sixties. He arrived on broomstick and noon, the Dursleys were in the back yard so Harry left them a note explaining he was going to his godfather's trial.  
  
"Well Harry, you sure look different, haven't really seen you since you were a baby." He said as they rode invisible over muggle towns. Harry, full of nerves, could only nod. "Listen Harry it won't be that bad, outcome's already been picked, Sirius will be free. We've got the right judge and the perfect jury. And Sirius saved the Minister's life a month ago, you did get that paper right?" Harry nodded, it was true, Sirius had saved the ex- Minister from a group of death eaters in Diagon Alley. "He'll be fine, just keep your cool, Peter will be in Azkaban, or dead, by nightfall. Have you got a speech prepared?" Harry swallowed the lump in his throat, Mundungus seemed to know what he was talking about.  
  
"Yeah, and Wormtail will say anything I ask him to, he owes me his life." Harry said, "will he be questioned under Vertisarum?"  
  
"Yep, so will you, don't worry about it though, all questions will be kept reasonable." Mundungus said, as they circled down towards a large white building with hundreds of others, on top was written Landing Station  
  
"I'm not worried about the truth potion, I've been working these past two weeks, I'm almost completely immune to it." Harry said, it was true, he'd brewed his own and had been using it on himself and withstanding it quite well. Despite his horrendous grades in Potions class he was actually pretty good when he tried, without Snape breathing down his neck. He landed and locked his broom in a cupboard, got the combination from an Auror by the doors and followed Mundungus inside.  
  
Mundungus led him to a room in which people were sitting or walking around, some just pacing back and forth. Even if everything seemed okay the outcome of the trial wasn't at all easy to figure out. Harry noticed Remus, Mrs. Figg, and a large number of Aurors. Dumbledore found Harry quickly, he beckoned them over to where he was sitting. Mundungus and Harry took the two remaining chairs and a glass of fruit juice each.  
  
"Harry, Mundungus, finally, we'll be starting shortly." He said, Harry sipped his drink quietly, mentally reviewing all he had to say.  
  
"It should go well! Did you know he's immune to Vertisarum?" Mundungus said to Dumbledore softly, gesturing in Harry's direction. Dumbledore turned to Harry in surprise.  
  
"You are? How did this happen, it's nearly impossible to do." He asked, keenly interested, Harry felt Dumbledore's eyes boring into him and put down his drink.  
  
"I made my own Vertisarum, and practiced with it, it only took a couple tries. I've been working all summer, I'm immune to most truth potions and most poisons. Not that I'm going to lie or anything, the truth is far more convincing then any lie I could come up with. I'll just skip certain details that only I know that might, ah, catch unneeded attention." He said, phrasing his words carefully. Dumbledore nodded and gave him a small grin, at that moment a witch appeared at the door to tell them it was time.  
  
From his seat Harry stared around the auror courtroom, it was truly grand, only the aurors used it for very serious cases, such as convicting death eaters. Five thousands seats sat around in half-circle bleachers covered in dark red velvet. The gold and white floor glistened, the auror flag flew out over the entire thing up near the domed ceiling. Observing his surroundings Harry noticed nothing else until he saw a door open on his left.  
  
Sirius entered accompanied by five aurors, he was wearing dark purple robes with gold and white runes beaded on it. He really didn't look like a prisoner, in fact he looked more important then the top auror guards accompanying him, except for the cloak they all wore with the auror symbol on it, and his robes were fancier. Harry's attention was caught by the talk coming from the people seated around him and the guards voices.  
  
Audience member: He's innocent alright, if the auror's believe it I do.  
  
Audience member: he looks innocent, does that matter?  
  
Audience member: I knew him and James in school, Sirius would rather die then betray James, in fact he almost did once while on a mission for the aurors.  
  
Audience member: I agree, I signed that petition to get him freed and give him a trial after Voldemort's downfall.  
  
Audience member: James trusted him, I do too.  
  
Audience member: Harry Potter and Albus Dumbledore both say he's innocent they'd never say that without good proof, and they'd never be wrong about something that important.  
  
Guard: Good luck Sirius, we're all rooting for you!  
  
Guard: I'm really sorry we didn't do more to get you freed before now!  
  
Guard: They'd better let you go, if they don't the aurors are pulling out of the fight altogether, we won't protect such idiotic fools!  
  
Guard: At least that's what I think the council has planned, they're all here Sirius, all on your side.  
  
Guard: It's ten a.m. now, by this time tomorrow you'll be free, just concentrate on that.  
  
Sirius nodded to them and caught Harry's eye, he smiled slightly before the judge called for quiet and he was distracted.  
  
Harry, who had never been to a trial and had no idea how they worked watched the proceedings with interest. Everyone was given Vertisarum, the aurors had to force it down Wormtail's throat. Even from the start it was plain that Sirius was telling the truth and was innocent, the only ones who thought otherwise were the deatheaters, and even they could see that it was hopeless to try and save Wormtail. However they did their best to make sure Sirius wasn't freed. When it came to Harry's turn he drank the Vertisarum, knowing it would have almost no effect. He told the truth, but kept back information he knew only he had, information that could hurt Sirius. Despite the fact that the outcome was already known he wanted it to be a sure and easy a discussion as possible.  
  
The trial ended at six p.m. the jury left and so did most others. Harry went with Dumbledore to a large room where a large crowd had gathered. They ate dinner together and Dumbledore introduced Harry to most of the people there, though Harry was sure he wouldn't remember every name. For some reason Dumbledore felt he should get to know these people. The doorway opened and a group of Aurors came in, instantly the crowd seemed to rush over to them, asking how Sirius was. While everyone else was clustered around the high ranking aurors who'd eaten with Sirius Harry had a chance to find out who his new teachers were.  
  
"Professor, who's the new defense teacher? And the Care of Magical Creatures teacher?" he asked, Dumbledore smiled and beckoned Remus over.  
  
"Remus Harry just asked who our Care of Magical Creatures teacher is, how about you tell him?" Remus grinned at Harry  
  
"I'm the new teacher, and the new Defense teacher might be Sirius, if the aurors can spare him, he's one of their best you know." Harry grinned, he'd been scared that Snape would finally get the Defense job.  
  
The jury was out for a total of five minutes, but a dinner break was given to everyone. Such a quick decision could mean only one thing, when everyone was back in the court room Sirius's broad grin assured them of the outcome. Sirius was announced free, given his wand, house, and 500,000 Galleons, Peter Pettigrew was sentenced to either life in Azkaban or the dementor's kiss. Under the circumstances the dementor's kiss was finally agreed upon, but only after Wormtail was questioned thoroughly on what he knew of Voldemort. According to Dumbledore this really meant that he'd be kept alive for years maybe, but in a state rather coma-like, un removable by anyone but the auror jail keeper. They'd do this so that they could get information from him whenever and they'd know when Voldemort had his meetings from Wormtail's dark mark burning. The auror questioners led him away screaming, before anyone had even begun to leave everyone's attention was caught again by a silence sweeping up from the floor. Dumbledore and Sirius were conversing quietly.  
  
"Sirius since Hogwarts currently has no Defense teacher I'm free to offer you the job if the aurors can spare you." Dumbledore said loudly, Sirius turned to the aurors waiting for him by the door.  
  
"I can't give you an answer yet, I'll have to check with the aurors and the Order of the Phoenix first." There was instantaneous quiet, then hushed whispers that slowly rose in volume as people exited.  
  
"Did he say the Order of the Phoenix?"  
  
"Yeah, didn't you read in the prophet, it's being reinstated tonight at Hogwarts."  
  
"What does that mean?"  
  
"The chosen people join and they all pick a leader, the Phoenix to be exact, I suppose he's a member."  
  
Harry too was wondering what was up as he gathered he broom and trunk and used a portkey to get to Hogwarts. He was quite sure that Sirius had planned that remark, purposely let that little tid bit of information slip. Once in his dormitory he put his stuff away, he'd just started a letter to Ron when Remus walked in.  
  
"Harry! Listen we need to go to Dumbledore's office, he wants you to be there when the Order is reinstated."  
  
"Okay." Harry put the letter away and, very surprised and curious, followed him to the Headmaster's office and through a door he could have sworn wasn't there before.  
  
They entered a room, people, lined the walls, Harry recognized most of them from earlier that day. In the middle of the room was a table, on it lay a flag, Harry couldn't see what was on the flag, the table was covered mostly by a statue. It was a crystal globe about the size of Harry's head filled with black flames, in the center was what looked like a small statue of a phoenix, beak tilted upwards, slightly open. A golden glow surrounded the bird which was outlined in flames. Around the globe were six figures, each attached to it by a foot or tail, around the top were a Dragon, a majestic black and gold War Unicorn, and a gray and black and white Dire Wolf. Coming up off the base, leaning against the globe was a fire breathing Lion, a Basilisk, and a copper-colored Hippogriff. All the statues were in full color, on the base in the front was written The Order of the Phoenix Below it were carved two places shaped exactly like hands, the hand spots were painted on the bottom in a glowing gold. On the area not covered by the statue were dozens of small, pale blue, balls of light. Harry noticed instantly that the whole thing seemed to glow a bit, and that everyone was quiet, waiting.  
  
Harry found a space in a corner where he wouldn't be noticed and waited. There were no lights in the room, but it seemed that everyone there including himself cast a glow, combined it was enough, out side the sun set. Dumbledore walked in, he went to the center of the room.  
  
"We are gathered here to reinstate the Order of the Phoenix, designed to fight the dark arts and protect people from the current dark wizard, Voldemort. Once you become a member you stay a member unless death or retirement stops you, if this Order is no longer needed it will shut down. If any here do not wish to join leave now." No one left, Harry shifted a bit, did that include him? Probably not. Dumbledore placed both hands in the spaces, instantly he and the statue began to glow, the phoenix inside seemed to take flight, all other light in the room went out. Dumbledore stayed there in the same position with his eyes closed for half a minute, then he stepped back. The statue remained glowing, suddenly the glow faded a bit and the phoenix stopped moving, a single note of phoenix song filled the air, then there was quiet. Dumbledore picked up on the blue balls of light and pressed it to the back of his right ear, it vanished. "These everyone are communicators, through them you can communicate with other Order members, just think their name to the communicator and think whatever it is you wish to tell them, you don't always need to speak out loud." He moved back to a position on the walls, next went Mundungus Fletcher, then Sirius Black, then Remus Lupin, Severus Snape, and many others. Harry kept count, figuring it to be 139 in all, once everyone had finished Dumbledore went to the center again. Harry noticed him make eye contact with Sirius, he seemed to be trying to relate a message before he spoke. "Now, we need to choose our new Phoenix, I was the Phoenix last time, I have decided that I do not wish to hold that station again. I will except the vote of the majority, I will not be voting, my vote might sway others minds, you have as long as you need." With a last look around, he beckoned Harry and they both left.  
  
Outside in his office he sat down in an armchair, Harry followed suit.  
  
"Do you have any idea who they'll pick as Phoenix, sir?" Harry asked, possible names running through his head. Dumbledore leaned back in his armchair and sighed, his fingers on the arms of the chair were twitching and slightly white knuckled.  
  
"I'm no seer, I know who I would choose without a doubt, but as a whole they may decide differently. I can't be sure, I wish for once I did know the future…" Harry stared into the fire, tuning out Dumbledore's voice, not noticing that for the first time the headmaster sounded uncertain and very nervous. He heard a voice speaking, someone, miles away, slowly he became aware again and understood its words.  
  
"…He shall be a phoenix, and a great one, this Order will last for many years yet, and in that time it may change phoenixes, who can tell? Danger is great, but danger breeds great warriors, battles and death cloud our future, nothing is certain. Our choices are all that count, no one can predict anything that will be happening, all is uncertain and open to change, with such a delicate future their choice will be a wise one…" He realized it was he who was speaking, and that Dumbledore was on the edge of his seat, watching Harry intently. "I'm sorry, what did I say?" Dumbledore merely smiled and shook his head.  
  
"You told me who'd they chosen, and part of the future, I must say, they chose as I would have, or shall I say will choose as I would. You have no idea what you said?" He seemed amused, and surprised.  
  
"No, it's very aggravating, who did I name?" He scowled angrily as Dumbledore smiled even wider and shook his head. "HUMPH! That's very helpful!" Dumbledore chuckled.  
  
"Most such predictions are not remembered by the person who spoke them Harry, don't worry about it. You may be, as Professor Trelwany would put it, 'very well attuned to the clairvoyant vibrations when under stress,' or when it is needed, so I hope."  
  
Harry gave him and sharp and annoyed look. "From now on I'll carry that dream recorder everywhere, it'll pick up predictions too." Dumbledore smiled slightly, he looked much more relaxed, while Harry's nerves were humming with worry, what had he said? Who had he named?  
  
"But while we're here how about you tell me how you managed immunity to most truth potions and most poisons?" He asked curiously. Harry began explaining how he'd used Vertisarum on himself and how he'd slowly built up his poison immunity through Basilisk poison ordered under a false name from a shop in Knockturn Alley.  
  
Eventually around midnight the Order entered the office,  
  
"Albus, Harry, we have chosen Sirius Black as the new Phoenix, shall we transfer the Phoenix power to him now?" Mundungus asked, Sirius was smiling, and to Harry's surprise Snape wasn't throwing a fit, though he did look like he'd swallowed several rotten lemons.  
  
"I guess, yes now would be a good time." Dumbledore led everyone back inside, Sirius moved to stand in front of the statue and again put his hands in the spaces.  
  
"The members of the Order of the Phoenix have chosen me with a 100% in favor vote to lead them. I Sirius Black vow to do all the Phoenix's job requires regardless of what sacrifices I myself must make. I swear I shall stay their leader unless a 100% vote removes me or I retire or die, or the Order is shut down, I will not disband this Order until I am certain that the wizarding world no longer needs our protection." He bowed his head slightly, the statue's glow around him was blinding, bright flashes of light made him impossible to see. Phoenix song filled the air, slowly the light died away, and then went out. Sirius moved back from the statue, both his palms were bleeding, on a gold chain around his neck hung a square, inside was a circle of flames inside of which was the statue that had once stood on the table. The entire thing was beautifully done, only one square inch. Once he cleaned off his palms they healed in seconds, he had a rune branded on both. Harry recognized it as the rune for Phoenix.  
  
Harry walked back up to his dormitory slowly, his feet heavy. The Order had the third floor corridor all to themselves, it had been remade with rooms for everyone and meeting rooms, workout rooms (all members could fight with sword and knife, or unarmed) a dueling room for practicing and a number of other rooms. There were no classrooms currently on that corridor so it didn't change much. Remus had explained to Harry that, as Phoenix, Sirius could communicate with anyone without a communicator, and he knew how they were feeling at all times if he wished too and read minds. He also had been given an extraordinary amount of power in wandless magic, despite that fact he was already very adept at it anyway, and the ability to transform into any of the Order creatures. Normally he would be given a phoenix, but he already had had one, this surprised Harry, he'd never heard of it or seen it until that evening. It had flown in the window, bigger then Fawkes with a white scar on its chest, glowing brilliantly and delighted to see him, it was named Raslith. I wonder where it was while he was hiding from the Ministry? Harry wondered absently as he dodged a paper airplane thrown by Peeves.  
  
The Order was probably still awake now discussing things, and Sirius would be awake for many hours planning, as know one knew what Voldemort was up to, in fact he might be up all night long, but Harry intended to wake up early and practice quidditch. His other training could wait for a day or two.  
  
That night Harry once again dreamed, mist covered the ground, death eaters slowly walked through it toward Hogwarts, from his position, flying above them, Harry could see many dropping into covered pits or being jerked up by traps to dangle by their feet in the air. A few walked into clouds of white/blue mist, when they emerged they walked slower and slower until they collapsed. Thunder sounded, a figure stood on a tower top, arms outstretched, lightning lashed down to it, blinding him. Raising his hand to cover his eyes Harry rolled off his bed and woke.  
  
"Darn! I really wouldn't mind these dreams so much if I didn't keep falling out of bed!" He said angrily, he checked his clock 6:00, well he wasn't going back to sleep now. Harry grabbed his broom and jumped out the window headfirst. After enjoying a quick free-fall Harry swung his broom under his feet and, standing, slowed his decent, he zoomed around the tower once before taking off for the quidditch pitch, not seeing the people who had been watching from a window. 


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3  
  
"He's amazing, standing on his broom? I don't think anyone's done that before, and certainly not flying at that speed." Sirius murmured to the other three with him at the table set up in one of the lounges near the window. He'd been up all night working, and his palms still hurt, almost none of the Order members had gotten more then a few hours of sleep, but he envied them that.  
  
"He's been practicing standing on his broom all summer at his aunt's. The backyard's got a high wall around it, I'm not sure how he got them to allow it. Actually I don't think they even knew he was doing it." Arabella Figg said over her coffee, after years watching Harry while at the Dursley's she was back in the magical world.  
  
"He should be on a stunt team if he wants to do stuff like that trick, not a quidditch team, I hope someone tells him that, little show-off." Severus Snape growled, earning very angry glares from Remus and Arabella. Arabella looked to be considering slapping him, he carefully leaned away a little. The last had been muttered, but loudly enough to hear. Sirius, glancing at Snape's mind and finding envy, chose to ignore him, the only sign he gave that he'd heard at all was a slight frown.  
  
"The English team needs reserves and players, including a Seeker. They're recruiter and captain are touring the wizarding schools, watching matches and getting information on likely students. They'll be here for a few matches sometime during the year or next if all goes well." Dumbledore said as he sat down in the remaining chair.  
  
"That dive out the window looked familiar, did you give him that idea Sirius?" Remus asked, checking his watch as more Order members started coming in.  
  
"I? No, I don't stand on my broom, mind you I do dive out windows on it headfirst, but no I didn't suggest it. It looked like Lilly's style of dive. Should we call him in yet?" Sirius asked, he took a quick mental count of the Order members awake. "Never mind, we'll wait half an hour for breakfast."  
  
"But Voldemort won't wait, has Harry had anymore dreams do you think? Poor boy, I hope he's getting enough sleep." Arabella murmured softly, and gasped as Harry did a stunning maneuver on his broom that most couldn't do sitting never mind standing.  
  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _  
  
After breakfast Harry gave Sirius the dream recorder and he left with some others to view it, Harry wrote to Ron and Hermione, telling them about the trial. He then spent most of the day in the common room practicing magic. Dumbledore had told him that since he was at Hogwarts he would be allowed to use magic, Harry was overjoyed and immediately went to work. By bedtime he was exhausted but had mastered a score of new spells, and had finally finished learning to do all the 1-4 year spells wandlessly.  
  
Harry spent the next few days doing loads of magic, flying, and of course, practicing his other fighting skills, he'd added dueling to the list, despite the fact he didn't have a real opponent. He'd created a faceless figure, and given it the same ability he had, he then fought this, as he improved so did it. Other then that there wasn't much to do, Harry memorized every secret passage and room in the school and, one day when it was raining and he was extremely bored, made his own room. In here he could practice in peace after the students arrived, to get in he closed the drapes around his bed, murmured the password, lay down with his feet near his pillow and rolled into the wall, and through it onto a couch in the secret room. He'd also become friends with the house elves and started inventing jokes like the twins did, he'd decided to become a prankster, though it was originally Ron's idea. Harry justified it as his father's prankster genes in him. Through numerous letters to his friends and meeting them one day in Diagon Alley to get supplies, they came to an agreement to be 'minor pranksters' until the twins graduated. Harry didn't see much of the Order, there were always a few of them around, mostly resting or having meetings in the third floor corridor. Sirius was very busy, since he was the Phoenix and he would be teaching he had a lot to do, Harry mostly only saw him at mealtimes. Remus was around a lot more and asked Harry for help in planning their first few lessons on Basilisks. He and Harry went on a two day hunt for a Basilisk for the class to study. Harry then used his Parseltounge abilities to make the Basilisk, a very friendly female who's territory included Hogwarts, power to kill with her eyes to become ineffectual against students and all who were not death eaters. But even with things like this, annoying Filch, and exploring the restricted section of the library with the cloak, Harry was glad when September 1st rolled around.  
  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _  
  
Harry left early and went down to the dining hall to wait for the students, as prefects he Ron and Hermione had agreed to sit in the middle of the table, much closer to the front then the back, Alicia would manage the students in the back half of the table, which were normally first and second years. Eventually he heard the sound of voices and students streamed in, Harry stood up and looked around in the crowd, searching for Ron and Hermione. Finally he spotted them, and didn't like what he saw. They were standing near the doorway, having a glaring match with Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle. After a while though they walked off, Harry waved frantically for a moment until Ron spotted him and waved back. They hurried over and took the chairs on either side of him.  
  
"Harry! How's it been? Pretty lonely I'd guess. Didja hear? In the prophet? Eight more muggles killed yesterday, poor things, damn those nasty, disgusting, foul, cowardly, death eaters! Dad and Percy have been running themselves to the ground at the Ministry. Malfoy looked like he was trying to glare a hole through Ron. Harry decided to calm Ron down by answering his first question.  
  
"Not to bad, boring yes, but not too lonely, the Order members were always about. I've spent a lot of time studying. Not your kind." He added to Hermione, "I've been practicing magic, done all of our potions and spells ahead of time too. I've been flying around a lot, and learning my way around all the hidden passageways and stuff." Hermione said something, but stopped mid sentence as Dumbledore called for silence and the first years were led in.  
  
(AN: For lack of poetic skills I am NOT writing a Sorting Hat Song)  
  
Harry and Ron were to busy discussing who the new Gryffindor quidditch team captain might be to take much notice of the sorting. Harry only saw that there were 7 new boys and 5 girls, Gryffindor had gotten more then any other house, Slytherin only got 6 new students. Then the hall quieted, except for rumbling stomachs, and the Headmaster rose to speak.  
  
"New students, teachers, and returning students and teachers, welcome to a new school year. Hopefully your heads are nice and empty and ready to be filled with magic again. Now I would like to introduce our not-so-new Care of Magical Creatures teacher, Remus Lupin! Hagrid is doing work for the Ministry involving the giants. " Here he had to stop because of deafening applause, even the students who had never been in Lupin's classes clapped as the older students explained. Snape was looking especially sour, his face turned almost purple and he looked ready to have a fit at what Dumbledore said next. "Next we have our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Sirius Black, Leader of the Order of the Phoenix and part-time Commander of the First Rank Auror Elite!" There was a silence, then applause and cheers and roars that shook the building, Sirius and Lupin both stood and bowed. The hall gradually silenced as Dumbledore raised a hand for quiet. "Now the Forbidden Forest is, of course, Forbidden to all students, though the name should be warning enough, Professor Lupin is teaching a few lessons on Basilisks, during that time the Basilisk used will be residing in the Forest. I assure you it has promised not to injure or eat any students. Secondly the Order of the Phoenix has been reinstated, undoubtedly you've all already heard that. Hogwarts is the base for the Order, as a result they will be around school a lot, please don't cause them any trouble, one reason they are here is your safety. They will be living in the thirdfloor corridor, same one that was out of bounds four years ago. Next, we have some transfer students this year from various schools around the world. They will be sorted like the first years." He beckoned to the doorway, a score of students walked in, Harry recognized two as Durmstrang students who had been there the year before to compete in the Tournament. They were sorted out, Gryffindor got the most again, in fifth year four, seventh year two, second year six, fourth year one, third year two, no new sixth years. Harry got the four new fifth years attention and waved them to the empty seats near him Ron and Hermione. "Now, since you are all positively starving I expect, lets eat!"  
  
"Hey, I'm Ron, this is Hermione and that's Harry. Who are you?" Ron asked as he heaped his plate, the one new boy examined his goblet.  
  
"I'm Sam, this is real gold! Wow! Wait a sec, Harry? The Harry Potter? Awesome!" Harry groaned softly so no one would hear.  
  
"Yeah I suppose that'd be me, at least the last time I checked that was my name. What school are you from?" The new boy glanced quickly at Harry's scar, clearly visible as Harry had given up on bangs to hide it.  
  
"I'm from the Salem Wizards Academy, it's an all boys school, the Salem Witches Academy is just a mile away, can't understand why the two schools aren't one. Any teachers I should be aware of?" Harry and Ron exchanged looks. The three new girls stopped their chat with Hermione to listen.  
  
"Well there's the Potions teacher, Severus Snape, he's just plain nasty. He's the slime ball next to Prof. Lupin, who doesn't look to happy about it. Best watch out for him, he hates Gryffindors, and most students who aren't in Slytherins for that matter. Though I get the impression he doesn't like them much either, he's horribly biased. Prof. Trelany teaches Divination, she's an over grown insect I tell you, her class room is stifling and it reeks of perfume, she makes a hobby of predicting my death on a daily basis since third year, even if I'm not in her class that day." Harry said, he stopped and let Ron continue.  
  
"Prof. Binns is a ghost, fell asleep one evening in front of the fire, got up in the morning to go teach and left his body behind, he can put you to sleep in minutes, as a result History sucks. All the others are okay, just don't make Prof. McGonagal, the head of Gryffindor House, mad, she's got a temper. And don't cross Filch, the caretaker, or his blasted cat Miss Noris. Oh, and watch out for Peeves, the Poltergeist, he's awful. Besides that, and moving staircases you don't have much to worry about." Ron finished just as the desert appeared.  
  
The girls introduced themselves as Morgan, Tanya, and Ira, they were all relatively friendly and Ira turned out to be a Keeper and Morgan a Chaser, the talk immediately turned to quidditch.  
  
After the tables had cleared Dumbledore stood again.  
  
"Now a more grave and unsettling matter. As Voldemort has indeed returned to power students are not allowed outside the building after four p.m. alone and all students must be inside by five. Hogsmead weekends will continue. We are offering a new course this year, or rather two half year courses. The first in dueling and the second in healing, any student who wishes to sign up or hear more should come to the dining hall this Friday after the meal, the classes will be on Friday evenings for one hour. Please report all sightings of strangers on the grounds and/or hooded figures you may see, we can't have to many eyes watching. Off to bed now, and do watch out, there's a new trick step in one of the staircases."  
  
Harry, Ron, and Hermione trudged up the stairs, followed by Sam and the three girls, stopping to laugh and help Tanya out of the trick stair as she, and about half a hundred others, fell in.  
  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _  
  
The next day at breakfast Professor McGonagal came along handing out schedules. Harry glanced at his and choked on his cereal, Ron had to pound him on the back.  
  
"You okay Harry? What's wrong?" Harry pointed to the schedules, Ron looked at his and moaned. "NO! Divination first thing, with the Slytherins! Then History with Ravenclaw, and Transfiguration with Hufflepuff. Oh well, tomorrow looks better, Potions first thing, with Slytherin? Maybe not, ah, Defense, well that's good. The owls came soaring in with the Prophet, Ron read the front page, his eyes wide with horror, Harry took his own from Hedwig and glanced at the front page.  
  
Death Eaters attack muggles, fifteen dead, three death eaters captured.  
  
The article went on describing it, apparently the Order of the Phoenix had made its first appearance, saving another thirty or so muggles and a few wizards and witches. But they had gotten the news of the attack to late to save everyone.  
  
In Divination they were working on dreams, to Harry's horror they were learning to interpret dreams. Halfway through the class Trelany called Harry up near the end.  
  
"My dear the Headmaster has informed me that because you are in a way a seer you should only attempt to interpret dreams that have nothing to do with the fight against he-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named." She had predicted his death twice in class, and as he left Harry and Ron were planning when to dung bomb her. She'd told Ron that because of his dreams he would break a arm the next day while in Potions. In fact she saw nothing but bad things in anyone's dreams, though she wasn't very specific for most.  
  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _  
  
The next day Harry and Ron hurried down to the dinging hall, they were a little late.  
  
"Have you got it Harry?" Ron asked breathlessly as they sat down.  
  
"Got what? What's going on?" Hermione asked, for once looking up from a book.  
  
"Nothing, come on Ron, let's start." Harry answered, he handed Ron a bunch of Wet-Start-No Heat- Filibuster Fireworks. Ron banished them to the other end of the hall and Harry pulled out his wand.  
  
Ron set off the fireworks, Harry used the invisibility spell, as everyone gasped at the fireworks Harry hurried up to the staff table. He quickly dumped a small container of sleeping-loud snoring, potion into Professor Snape's drink and hurried back to the table as another bunch of fireworks went off.  
  
"We did it! Ha ha! No Potions for us today!" Ron said as they started out of the hall, Hermione just shook her head in confusion. A few minuets later the announcement came that morning Potions class was canceled because the Prof. was under the influence of a six hour sleep potion. There was much rejoicing from all students, soon the word got out it was Harry and Ron who had done it, they were the new school heroes. Even Hermione was pleased to not have Potions that day, and congratulated them on success.  
  
After lunch was defense, Harry, Ron, and Hermione joined the rest outside the room and eagerly took three front-row seats. Sirius was writing something at his desk, as the class watched he folded it up and handed it to the huge glowing Phoenix beside him and it flew off in a shower of sparks.  
  
"Welcome everyone, I've been reviewing what you've learned so far, and your're a bit behind. No fault of yours. First year, your teacher sold his soul to Voldemort, you didn't learn much. I won't even mention what a waste of time second year was. From then on you've been doing very well, good good, now Dumbledore asked me to start with a review of the Unforgivables, since your teacher last year wasn't the really Alastor Moody. You all know about this right?" Heads nodded around the room, it had been in the papers for a month.  
  
"Right, first then, the Killing Curse. You had pretty basic learning here, so I'll just add a bit. The curse, contrary to popular belief, can be blocked. The only problem is no one knows how, supposedly Merlin himself, who invented many of the spells we use, also invented a wandless way of blocking this curse. However the knowledge hasn't been passed on, there's a research team of aurors currently at work on the problem. Now I'm going to give you each a mouse to attempt the curse on. I'd like you to attempt the killing curse on this mouse. There is something about this curse, the amount of power needed, and the evilness that goes with it that makes it nearly impossible. And if you do manage it, unlikely, the backlash should stop you from ever trying it again. The backlash of killing a mouse isn't to bad, but imagine it a hundred times over. Many die the first time they kill someone with the curse, unfortunately Voldemort didn't."  
  
Harry glanced at his white mouse, and imagined it as Peter.  
  
"Avada Kedavra", a small green light hit the mouse, it dropped over dead. An awful feeling of guilt and horror washed over Harry, he winced and ignored it as best he could. Soon everyone was finished, only four of them had managed the curse at all.  
  
"As you can feel it's pretty awful. Now we'll be moving on to the Cruciatus Curse. This curse can be blocked with the advanced shield spell, and the curse disintegration spell. Once on you the only way to break it is sheer willpower, and few have enough for that.  
  
Now the advanced shield spell, the incantation is Shieldahi. It was invented by Merlin during a duel with an evil witch, well, a witch that wanted to kill Merlin and get his powers. I'll be calling each of you up here to attempt it." Sirius began calling names, Harry relaxed in his chair, he knew this spell very well and wasn't worried. Ron managed it, but the spell Sirius shot at him managed to break through and Ron turned into a frog until Sirius untransfigured him. Hermione didn't manage more then a faint glow to everyone's surprise.  
  
"Harry Potter." Harry stood and moved up, wondering why Sirius was bothering with him. Sirius shot the spell, even before his wand finished the motion Harry had the shield in place. The spell hit the shield and vanished, Sirius tried again, again it vanished. "Well done, that's a perfect shield spell, now do you think you could make the spell come back at me?" Harry nodded, Sirius shot the spell, Harry glared at it and it reversed direction as soon as it touched the shield, but it came back much larger and twice as powerful. Sirius stared at the spell as it came towards him, and it stopped in mid air, and then vanished. "Well done Harry, ten points to Gryffindor.  
  
They left Defense happily. Sirius was a good teacher, to practice he had shot spells at them at various points throughout the class at random people without warning. They had learned the curse disintegration spell, 'Rahav', and had practiced throwing off the Imperius Curse. Harry had managed to turn his curse around on Sirius who had just managed to block it, earning another five points for Gryffindor.  
  
The week went by quickly, Defense was everyone's favorite class above Care of Magical Creatures. Most of the class was terrified of the Basilisk, but Harry had gone over and rubbed it lightly on the nose. It rubbed him back, and nearly knocked him over, at which most of the class gasped and shied away nervously. Harry just laughed it off and scratched the giant snake's eye ridges just the way it liked it.  
  
"Good Gods Harry! This is like what you fought in the Chamber of Secrets?" Hermione whispered as the Basilisk opened its mouth so Lupin could show them its teeth. Because Harry was needed as an interpreter he was called out of class a few times to help Lupin. Once when Malfoy kicked the Basilisk as it flicked its tongue at him. The Basilisk had been asking to be allowed to throw Malfoy into the lake with a flick of its tail but Harry had persuaded it not to. Once again people were giving Harry odd looks in hallways, but this time of respect and awe, not fear.  
  
News came in a day later, as the owls swooped in Hedwig dropped the daily prophet on Harry's head.  
  
Order of the Phoenix Stops Death Eater Attack!!!  
  
Yesterday, in a small town just outside of London Deatheaters raised the dark mark. Instantly it seemed a groups of wizards and witches appeared, the confrontation was quick and violent. In five minutes time ten deatheaters down and forty dementors dead. The deatheaters have been tried, questioned, and sentenced to life in the Auror prison as Azkaban is no longer functioning.  
  
  
  
"It was amazing, the death eaters came pouring down the main street, at the other end appeared another group that attacked immediately. They were awesome! The fought like one creature, I've never seen nothing like it! Not one of them was injured in any way. Then He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named appeared. Everyone feared the worst, then there was this screech, rather like a war cry, and a huge phoenix made of glittery flames soared down with a man on its back. The man reached out and the street gave way under the Dark lord. The stones and pavement suddenly appeared above him and every nearly crushed him. He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named apparrated out just as the man sent a huge ball of fire at him. Afterward the Phoenix's rider waved his hand, the people on the street began this short chant, and all damage righted itself." Says a local, as we look at the street, we can see nothing different from what it was before the attack. This group of people, revealed to be the Order of the Phoenix have saved the town and many lives, their leader, Sirius Black otherwise known as the Phoenix, even sent Voldemort running. What does the Ministry say? Well the Minister of Magic gives the Order his sincere thanks and hopes they will continue to help provide protection for the wizarding community.  
  
  
  
Harry grinned and looked at the teachers table, noticing that Sirius was absent, Remus was grinning as he read the paper, and, to Harry's surprise, even Snape was smiling a little. 


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4  
  
  
  
It was Friday, that evening after dinner all the students above third year who wanted to be in the optional class stayed after. The chairs were rearranged in a large circle with three rows of students and Dumbledore took the center.  
  
"All of you who are here wish to enter in one or both of the half-year optional classes. These classes will take place on Friday evening at 7:00. The first half of the year the class will be devoted to dueling, the second half to healing. The dueling class will be taught by Mundungus Fletcher, a member of the Order of the Phoenix. Healing will be taught by one of the Order's healers, Sertisa Rowan. The dueling class will cover the basics and some more advanced dueling, you'll be learning new spells and using ones you already know. Healing will be done on fake injuries, and any other injuries students get on Friday will be used by the class to practice on, always over seen by the teacher. Healing will include learning a bit about how to use magical plants, and a number of useful spells and potions. The signup sheet will be passed around." He finished and handed the sheet to a student.  
  
"Let's take both, it could be really useful." Hermione whispered as they leaned together to talk.  
  
"Yeah, I hope we don't get homework though. What could they give us? Break and arm and heal it, best gets full marks?" Ron asked, Harry took the sheet from the student next to him and signed up for both.  
  
The next morning Harry and Ron woke up really early and ran down to the kitchens invisible. They turned themselves into crickets to get under the door and hopped to the tables where the food was set out, ready for breakfast. Here they proceeded to fill the salt and pepper shakers with enchanted salt and pepper. They were having eggs and bacon so both would be used a lot.  
  
During breakfast well over half the school got turned into Penguins, Harry and Ron were careful not to use and salt or pepper. In the middle of the meal Harry went to one end of the hall, invisible, and took a picture, only a score or so of students managed to avoid being transformed. The picture showed a hall full of students and penguins and even some students in the middle of the transformation. The funniest part came when Hermione shook some salt onto her eggs, not noticing Harry and Ron grinning like maniacs and watching gleefully she ate. Her eyes bugged out and she began to change, suddenly Hermione the penguin sat there. Harry thought he might break a rib from laughing, it only took Hermione a minute to figure out who had enchanted the food  
  
"You two are in for it! You're PREFECTS!!! And pulling a prank like this! Just wait until the teachers find out! You'll lose tons of points and get more detentions then the twins ever have!" Her angry red face only made them laugh harder, of course the entire school had found out by lunch. Most were content to laugh it off and carefully check the lunch food. But Harry and Ron got a detention each, Harry though that Professor McGonagal was trying to hold back a laugh as she gave them the detention. She hadn't been transformed. Sirius gave Harry a big grin and a thumbs up as Harry and Ron both gave their head-of-house sad puppy faces and she couldn't help laughing.  
  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _  
  
A week later a thunderstorm shook the castle. Thunder pounded all day long, lightning flashed. By that evening everyone was sick and tired of it. After dinner Harry realized that he'd left a book in the astronomy tower. He hurried up the steps to the room, from here he placed a spell on himself to keep off the rain and hurried up. Thankfully his book was under a telescope and was only slightly wet. As he stood with it in his hand lightning flashed down to him. It struck Harry's hand and he dropped the book in shock. A moment later he realized that the lightning hadn't harmed him, he looked up, the huge storm was centered above the castle, the moon was invisible behind the clouds. Harry raised his hand to look at it, a memory came to mind. A figure on a tower top raised its arms, lightning flashed down to it, blindingly. Then he could see through, the lightning jumped from the figure to the death eaters, electrocuting a group of five with bright glowing bolts. The figure glowed as more lightning lashed down to it and off into the trees, a shield of lightning formed as a spell shot up from below at it. Harry shook himself, and frowned, not all of that had been in his dream, suddenly comprehension dawned on him and he raised a hand and concentrated. Lightning lashed down and hit him, with his mind Harry instructed it, the lightning lifted his book back to his hand. Harry grinned and sent the lightning and storm off. Ten minutes later Harry looked out his dormitory window, and the moon shone brightly on everything, there wasn't a cloud to be seen.  
  
Harry told no one about his discovery but everyone noted that there were more thunderstorms then usual, they came from nowhere and vanished just as quickly. Harry was practicing, he could now summon lightning from blue sky and call up a storm in minutes, the only other weather-related thing he could do was call up tornadoes he could control. He stopped however when he though Ron and Hermione were getting suspicious.  
  
The quidditch team held tryouts on Sunday, as newly-voted on captain of the team Harry got to decide when the tryouts were and for what positions. Harry finally decided that they needed a new Keeper and a reserve Chaser and Beater. The tryouts went on all day, the next morning at breakfast after the final decisions had been made, Harry gave an announcement to the entire House.  
  
"Sonarus, would everyone please come down to the common room?" He waited until everyone was there. "The team and I have spent hours deciding which students out of those who tried out yesterday should be picked for the team. For Keeper we have Ira, reserve Chaser, Morgan, reserve Beater, Fillip. All of you will be expected at all practices starting tomorrow at 7:00." Harry sat back down amid cheering, now the team had 5 seventh years, 3 fifth years, and 1 fourth year. And next year when they needed to replace the Chasers and Beaters they would already have two trained ones. Harry went over to Ron, who looked very disappointed. "Sorry Ron, you'll might make a good Chaser next year, but not a Keeper. Besides I have a feeling you'll be the one to replace Lee as commentator when he graduates. We've got to keep a Gryffindor at that post, if only to keep a Slytherin from it." Ron nodded.  
  
"Anyway we have OWLs this year, the team won't be having as much study time, not like you need it." He added, showing that he hadn't missed that Harry was better then any other fifth year. Harry shot him a quick look, normally it was Hermione that got teased about being to good a student. But Ron was now running around attempting to catch pig.  
  
It was a good thing Harry had started preparing, the first match, Gryffindor vs. Slytherin came a month later. As he walked out onto the quidditch pitch Harry felt like he was in a dream, he shook hands with the new Slytherin Captain and too off on the whistle.  
  
"And there off! There's quite a wind today! About twenty mph coming from the west, sky's clear. Both teams have one new player this match, should be interesting. Alicia of Gryffindor's got the quaffle, headed down the pitch passes to Angelina, passes to Katie, passes to Angelina, passes to Alicia, passes to Angelina who scores! Ten to zero Gryffindor!"  
  
Harry cut out Lee's commentary as the crowd cheered, a Bludger came flying his way, Harry dodged, Malfoy was following him as closely as he could. Harry put all of his skill into play and went into a series of moves, Lee saw and brought the crowds attention to Harry. Oohs and aahs filled the air, Harry came out of a dive spinning, did a double roll and dove. A Bludger was flying at Katie, who didn't see it, Harry dove down, when he was level with the Bludger he tilted his broom sharply. There was a loud crack! And the Bludger changed direction, hitting Malfoy in the stomach. Harry looped Katie and zoomed to ward the Gryffindor goal, rolling and turning and zipping around Slytherin players, causing most to lose their balance briefly. He bounced another Bludger off his broom and rose up above the game, then he saw a faint glitter near the Slytherin goal posts. Harry did a backwards loop and plummeted toward it. The entire Slytherin team flew over, a Beater swung his club, Harry went into a complicated series of moves, finally bouncing a Bludger straight into a Chaser's face, he dropped out of the mass of angry Slytherins and did a dive. Malfoy came racing along, Harry knew he could beat Malfoy to the Snitch, but it was going to vanish soon. Harry tilted back up, leaving Malfoy and the Snitch behind.  
  
"What on earth is he doing? He's giving Malfoy the Snitch!" Lee yelled angrily, then the Snitch vanished, and appeared near the Gryffindor goal posts. Harry was very close to it, but it was below him, Harry rolled himself, dropping below his broom, hanging upside down with his knees he let go of the broom and grabbed the goal post with one hand. Harry swung around the pole and grabbed the Snitch from the air with his other hand. He righted himself and held the Snitch high above his head.  
  
"He's got the Snitch! With an amazing move that's never been done before Potter grabs the Snitch while flying Upside down! Swinging around the goal post!!! 230 to 20 Gryffindor!" Lee yelled happily, Harry did a quick victory lap, swirling and rolling on his broom before landing and handing the Snitch to Lee. Gryffindor supporters swarmed over the barrier cheering.  
  
"Come on hero! Party in Gryffindor tower!" George Weasely yelled, pulling the team out of the mass of happy students.  
  
The party lasted until midnight, Colin Creevy had taken numerous pictures of Harry's amazing moves and pictures of the Keeper doing stunning saves, Chasers scoring and Beaters pelting Bludgers at the Slytherins. Many of the photos were enlarged and hung on the wall above the fireplace while copies were sold for a sickle each.  
  
The days passed slowly, Harry was having dreams on a nightly basis, all of which he gave to Sirius. Harry was spending increasing amounts of time practicing his dueling, fencing, and martial arts, he'd even taken up archery and knife fighting. Then one day Ron and Hermione cornered him, alone, in the common room.  
  
"Harry, we've got a few questions for you." Hermione said, pulling up a chair. Harry looked up, he'd been keeping a lot from them, wondering when they were going to notice. Besides his training he'd been doing more magic without a wand then with and had been designing defense plans for the school incase they were attacked.  
  
"Well, ask away." He replied, Ron and Hermione looked startled, then Ron started.  
  
"Well you have been disappearing a lot, we know you run in the mornings, or swim, but you can't always be doing that. And yesterday when your homework fell out the window you used a wandless spell to get it back, what's up?" Harry looked at them thoughtfully, they'd probably never give him a moment of peace until he told them.  
  
"Ron, Hermione, there's a lot going on you don't know about, come on." He got up and led them up to his dormitory. "Firstly I made a hidden room behind here. To enter you go like this. Gryffindor." He lay down, his feet towards his pillow, and rolled into the wall, and through. Soon Hermione and Ron followed. They gaped around at the room with a door leading off it.  
  
"You made this Harry? Wow! Can you show us around?" Hermione asked, looking at the door.  
  
"Yeah, I'll give you a tour. This is just a room, nice place to relax, I didn't make this room, it was already here. Now." He opened the door to the hallway. "Here is where my realm begins, this is a practice room. See that human-like thing over there? It's programmed to fight, I practice against it. Dueling, Fencing, Martial arts, Knife fighting, Archery, it's a bit better then I, it always will be. Now in here is a potions room, I'm doing research on a few potions I've invented, testing them on mice and such." He opened the door to reveal a small room, the wall lined with shelves covered in ingredients. Two caldrons bubbled on the stone table. Harry showed Ron and Hermione everything, a library of books he'd found and copied from school library books in the restricted section. A room with weapons all along the walls, a shield he'd made, swords, knives, bows arrows and more. A room, his special room, with a table, on the table in a small blue box lay two stones. Now his most treasured possessions, he'd made them himself, they were probably the most powerful objects on the planet.  
  
"Harry! Is, is, is this a Power Stone?" Hermione whispered in awe, reaching out, then drawing her hand back, Ron's jaw dropped as Harry nodded.  
  
"They both are, remember when I left for a full day and half the night a month ago? I was creating these. One's a Power Stone, the other is a different sort of Power Stone. I mean it's the same but I'm using it for a different purpose. They're not finished yet, they'll be completed in maybe a little over a week." Ron recovered from his shock.  
  
"Remind me, what are Power Stones?" Hermione answered before Harry could.  
  
"Power Stones are Stones, made of an unknown combination of metals, made by wizards of old. You can store power in them, an almost unlimited amount, then take it out and use it when you need to, a Power Bank without interest. It holds someone's pure power, no spells or anything. No one has made one in over a millennium. How did you do it Harry?" Harry smiled, and shook his head.  
  
"It almost killed me, I had to discover how to make them all over again. I've got to much power, it makes learning new spells with a wand difficult. You may have noticed how hard I struggle with the easiest spells. Well I can do the most advanced spells there are easily, but I can't do what most people consider easy. Wandlessly it's the same, but a bit easier. But with a wand I have the easiest time performing what most people call the hardest spells. I'm all turned around, it's taken me years to figure it out. If I drain off some of my excess power I can function as a regular wizard. The second stone I plan to trap Voldmeort inside. I can't explain how, I don't really know myself." He knew he was surprising them, scaring them, he'd told no one else, and didn't plan to for a while.  
  
"Wow, this would take a lot of work, um Harry? Do mind teaching me some of those types of fighting you mentioned, I'd like to learn." Ron asked, looking hopeful, Hermione looked up eagerly.  
  
"Well, okay, but you'll have to keep in shape. Don't tell anyone about this though, I plan on telling, but not yet, not till I know enough, I don't know if I'm allowed to do this you see." Hermione and Ron nodded.  
  
All three of them quit the dueling and healing class the next Friday, they could learn all they needed. Visits to the restricted section of the library at night, and practicing every spare moment would be enough for them.  
  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _  
  
"Uh oh, look here. Death eater attacks again." Ron murmured, showing Harry a copy of the daily prophet.  
  
DEATH EATERS ATTACK HOGSMEAD, BACKED BY DEMENTORS!!!!!!!!  
  
Order of the Phoenix, Aurors, and Hit Wizards save thirty lives.  
  
Harry groaned, not again, he scanned the article, two deaths. That made twenty three wizards and witches dead from Death Eater attacks since the school year began, and four over the summer. And thirty-eight muggles in all, fourteen squibs. This wasn't good. Hogsmead visits had been cancelled, thank the Lord! Or there would be dead students as well, cancelled because of a dream Harry had had a week ago.  
  
Fire burst from a wand point. A mob of death eaters and dementors appeared in the center of Hogsmead. Screams and cries rang out. Almost instantly Order of the Phoenix members, Aurors, and, a little late, Hit Wizards appeared. A huge duel raged for over an hour, no sign of Voldemort. A man from the village ran from a building as death eaters entered, a green spell hit him and he dropped dead. A screaming witch was also murdered, death eaters laughed as a group of people were tortured, until a group of Order members drove them away, killing all the dementors in the group. Swarms of black cloaks, shouts screams, bright flashes of light. Suddenly the death eaters and dementors vanished, and the vision faded in mists.  
  
Harry woke up sweating, his scar burning in his forehead. He grabbed the dream recorder and sent it off with Hedwig to Sirius.  
  
"Harry? You okay? Harry!" Harry jerked back to reality, the memory of that night fading, he handed the paper back to Ron.  
  
"I'm fine, looks like we should go, the match will be starting soon." They filed out of the hall to watch the Ravenclaw vs. Slytherin match. So far Gryffindor was one of the leading teams. They had defeated Slytherin and Ravenclaw. Slytherin beat Hufflepuff, and now it looked like Slytherin might defeat Ravenclaw. Then there was Ravenclaw vs. Hufflepuff, Then came the Gryffindor vs. Hufflepuff and the final.  
  
"And he's got the Snitch! 170 to 160 Slytherin wins! Lee shouted, not happily, Ravenclaws moaned. Harry was disgusted it had been one of the dirtiest matches he'd seen, tons of cheating from Slytherin. Not as bad as some, but bad. Malfoy was gloating with his friends as the rest of the school left unhappily.  
  
"Well team, looks like we'll have to really start working." Harry said sadly to the other Gryffindors, Hufflepuff's Seeker was a second year, and a bad one too. They shouldn't be much of a problem. Then came the cup, hopefully Gryffindor vs. Slytherin, not easy.  
  
Christmas was near and the halls were full of happy students anticipating the holidays. This year some of the prefects would be chosen to decorate the great hall, Harry, Ron, and Hermione went to a staff meeting to ask if they could be the ones.  
  
"…We already have it all planned out you see. It won't take away any of our class time, once we start up the spells they'll do it all at night without us." Hermione finished their speech, the staff were still thinking.  
  
"Lets have a vote, all in favor raise your hands." McGonagal took a count, alright, you can be the decorators. Enjoy yourselves." The trio ran off, they already had all the spells made, they just needed to activate them.  
  
It was finished in two days, the walls were covered in sparkling white with swirls and elaborate designs on them. The floor was covered in a thin layer of non-melting snow. Into this designs were engraved in gold. There were wreathes on the doors and red ribbon bows above them. The tables were covered in paper-thin white/pale blue ice, the napkins were red white and green. The silverware had tiny red white and green bows tied around each fork, spoon, and knife. The plates were white with glittery snowflakes on them. The goblets were made to resemble glistening white flowers coming out of a golden stem with a layer of rubies and one of emeralds around it. Snow fell from the ceiling, Gryffindor was given twenty points for their excellent decorating job.  
  
Sirius left on some "Order business" a week before the Holidays began. All Defense classes were canceled that day until a substitute could be found.  
  
"I wonder where he went? And how are they going to find a substitute this close to Christmas?" Harry asked Ron over a game of chess.  
  
"Not sure, its just like Voldemort you know, a Christmas Eve attack?" Ron asked, moving one of Harry's pawns off the board.  
  
"Well he won't attack the castle over the Holidays. There'd be no point, not enough students to bother enslaving." Harry said with great certainty, earning him nervous looks from Ron and Hermione. They'd been wary of any strange behavior from him ever since school started.  
  
The new teacher turned out to be a young witch. Miranda Lilac Flairgold, as she introduced herself. She arrived just before dinner one evening, most of the students were heading to the great hall and were startled into silence when the door opened.  
  
A very pretty witch in periwinkle robes with green beads sewn onto them in runes entered, she looked around at the students and professors, all looking at her.  
  
"Hello, I'm your new defense professor. May I ask why you are all staring, unless I'm greatly mistaken I haven't just grown horns." There was a smothering of laughter, then everything went back to normal, the noise level rose above usual. The Professors hurried over.  
  
"Hello Minerva, good to see you again. I guess I chose a good time to arrive." McGonagal grinned, and signal students to hurry up.  
  
"Yes you did, quite an entrance, nice robes by the way." She introduced the new Professor to the others and they all made their way into the hall.  
  
"Thanks, I was just at the Ministry, looking for some people who I know are death eaters. Sirius asked me to get their records and current positions. The Order should start making arrests any day now." They all came into the hall, the Professors taking their usual seats, the new one looked around, looking disgusted at seeing the only seat left was between Snape and Sinastra. She sat down, and pointedly ignored Snape while talking happily to the others. Dumbledore rose to speak. Harry, Ron, and Hermione had been watching them from behind a door and now hurried into the hall. 


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5  
  
  
  
"Everyone, quiet please. Now as many of you know this is our new Defense professor Miranda Flairgold. She'll be here for the rest of the year, substituting in classes and working with the Order of the Phoenix. Now eat!" He sat down and the food appeared.  
  
"Poor thing, I pity anyone sitting next to Snape. I wonder if she's an Order member." Ron said. Hermione seemed to be examining the new Professor.  
  
"She looks like she knows what she's doing, I think I've heard her name before, yes, she was one of the best Aurors. I'll bet she's in the Order." Hermione said, Ron looked shocked and awed.  
  
"Hermione, Harry? Don't you have any idea who she is?" They both shook their heads in confusion. "Her full name is Miranda Flairgold Roseyes, she's the most powerful witch or wizard in two centuries!" Harry and Hermione stared at him in shock. "Four decades ago the entire world was in danger, a huge asteroid was coming at the planet, Voldemort had accidentally called it, when it hit only those who didn't follow him would die. She used all her power to turn it and the spell on it away. She was locked in a battle with that spell and asteroid for nearly five years, never moved in fives whole years. The spell on it was the strongest known spell, Voldemort killed ninety death eaters, twenty prisoners and fifty dementors, and used their life forces to build it. And she beat it! On her own! She really hates being famous so her name isn't often mentioned, she lost nearly half her powers in that fight. But she'll have them all back in another three centuries or so, if she lives that long. She's still almost as powerful as the Phoenix himself!" Hermione gasped, her eyes wide, Harry was astonished and awed. They didn't speak again until dessert appeared, then Harry looked around Hermione to Ron and winked. They both took their wands out and flicked them under the table.  
  
At the Slytherin table the food started to erupt, Fireworks blasted out of chicken, salads, pitchers, goblets, pies, and large plates of pork. A Brilliant display of red, green, silver and gold flashed skywards, forming, once it was all up, the Gryffindor Lion stepping on the Slytherin serpent. Laughter filled the hall, and cheers from the Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs. The food fixed itself and everything slowly became normal.  
  
"Ron, Harry! Did you do that?" George called down the table.  
  
"Yep, good eh?" Harry replied, Gryffindors cheered.  
  
"Superb! Are you two going to challenge us as chief Pranksters?" Fred yelled.  
  
"Na, we'll let you have your last year of fun, maybe we'll challenge you to a prank war, but not for your title.  
  
"Now, to start off, I have to tell you that the Saturday after the Christmas party, before the holiday, the students from each year will each be tested by the professors in Defense magic." Prof. Flairgold said to start off her first class. "Fifth years will be tested by Professor Snape, and I." She stopped for groans and then cheers. "I see you don't really like professor Snape? Well that's to be expected, he certainly isn't friendly. To prepare you for the test we'll be starting with the Patronus." She conjured the desks out of the way and told them to line up on a wall. Then she conjured up a dementor. Each students attempted to make a Patronus, as Harry already knew this he didn't have to. Instead he took this time to examine the class room. Sirius had basically redone it, the desks were the same, but the room seemed bigger. Along the wall across from the door were two shelves running the length of the wall. On the top shelf was the symbol of the Order of the Phoenix, made entirely from gems, silver and gold. Next to it were three stones, Harry had no idea what they were and couldn't find anything like them in any book. There was also a gigantic fang, On the lower shelf there were about forty books, some appeared to have blood stains on them and were a little burnt.  
  
"Damn! Why is this so hard?" Hermione said in anguish after her seventh unsuccessful attempt at it. Ron was doing no better, in fact no one was.  
  
By the end of the class and about fifty tries each about a fourth of the class was producing mist, and Harry was thoroughly bored.  
  
The next day Harry and Ron challenged Fred and George to a prank war. Harry and Ron were one team, they started at lunch. Causing all the Slytherins to grow ostrich heads to replace their own due to enchanted food.  
  
"Well done Ron, Harry! You're good, but not good enough!" George and Fred called to them in the hallway. At lunch whipped cream cans covered everyone with whipped cream, only it turned your hair orange.  
  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _  
  
"Is this going to work? It's dangerous! What if we get caught?" Ron hissed to Harry.  
  
"I know, but won't it be spectacular?" Harry whispered back. They were planning to blow up the Slytherin common room. Thirty dungbombs filled the common room and corridor, fireworks sat, ready behind chairs. They had taken precautions so none of it would hurt anyone. "Ready, set, go!" Harry yelled, they ran from the room just as everything blew. The bangs and booms almost shook the castle. Harry and Ron made it to the Gryffindor common room and fell through the Portrait hole laughing themselves sick.  
  
"What did you do?" Fred called over.  
  
"We… just…totally…blew…up…the Slytherin…common room!" Harry gasped out as he lay here, roaring with laughter that quickly spread to the rest of the house. Even more amusing were the roars of rage coming from the Slytherin corridor as the common room blew up repeatedly the next day just as soon as it was fixed.  
  
The next morning at breakfast Harry and Ron enchanted paper airplanes full of itch powder to fly around dumping it on the Slytherins, Hufflepuffs, Ravenclaws, and staff. Gryffindor got a good laugh. Fred and George weren't as happy as the rest, they were being defeated.  
  
At dinner Fred and George started off with a bang, fake Santa's started throwing snowballs at everyone, snowballs that smelled heavily of different disgusting perfumes.  
  
"We've got to do something good. Something spectacular, and not just during a meal." Harry said as he moved his sword about Rons' and flicked it out of his hand. Ron groaned and tried to kick Harry. Harry tossed his sword away and aimed a punch at the other.  
  
"Well we could enchant the pictures with something. But what?" Ron gasped, frantically rolling to avoid Harry, he came to his feet and Harry flew at him, a blur of fists and feet. He got Ron in the jaw and tumbled the other across the ground, a good kick sent Ron flying into a wall. Ron went down hard and stayed down. "Enough, enough, you win." Harry helped him up and used wandless magic to heal his bruises.  
  
"Brilliant idea, we can, oh, make them throw green goo on people?" And make door handles bite, cover railings in glue? Yes this does sound good." Harry murmured, Ron grabbed a towel and wiped his face, the threesome had been practicing for five hours straight. Harry was by far the best, Hermione was better with a slingshot and Ron was better with darts, but beyond that Harry easily beat them. As a result they fought with him often to get better.  
  
"Enough practicing, Harry, lets shower then put that plan into action!" Ron said, putting his sword away and heading from the room. Harry fixed a rip in the mats along the floor and followed, it was really cold out but the castle had been heated with spells. All the same he'd spent a few hours discovering the trick to never sweating, Ron and Hermione just didn't seem to get it very well though.  
  
The next day chaos reigned, the teachers finally managed to undo the enchantments around dinner. The whole school was wary and alert for hidden traps. Ron and Harry fell over laughing when a picture of Godric Gryffindor drenched Malfoy with green goo. Malfoy grabbed onto a railing along the stairway to keep from falling and got stuck there. Once he was free he headed to the bathroom and got bitten twice by the door handle.  
  
The next day sudden rain showers started at odd points all over the school and were gone as quickly as they had started, it took the teachers hours to track down each individual spell and undo it. Harry and Ron were nervous. With this Fred and George proved they could match almost anything Harry and Ron did.  
  
"So we'll just have to outdo ourselves with something spectacular." Ron said when Harry voiced this thought. They were up till midnight working.  
  
The next day the Slytherins were very late for breakfast, glue had been spread over the floor of the dungeon corridor. Ice had trapped the Professors in their rooms. Bushes hopped about the school signing rude songs about Slytherin. All the black boards in the school were found stacked one atop the other floating in the middle of the lake in a huge pile. Every Arithmancy book in the school had been enchanted to act like a Bludger. Owls dropped dungbombs on students all day long. The great hall was so full of mist you couldn't see anything two feet ahead. Chairs in class rooms turned into water filled caldrons just as you sat down. At dinner the Spoons floated into the hall flinging eggs at people, chairs started dancing, knives turned into worms, forks disintegrated. Suits of armor started throwing water balloons at people passing by. Peeves was found frozen like a statue on the teachers table, covered in ice. Many people started singing the school anthem, unable to stop because of a nasty singing charm on the orange juice. Students were transformed into gigantic, four foot tall rabbits hopped about for a few minutes at lunch. School was cancelled for the day, Harry and Ron took refuge in Harry's rooms, the Gryffindors hadn't really been affected too much, it was mostly aimed at the Slytherins, but no one who knew it was them was happy.  
  
Fred and George stood up at the next dinner and announced that Harry and Ron had defeated them.  
  
"These most notable pranksters have defeated us in this prank war. Yesterday proved them better pranksters then we. Though we hope they shan't take it into their heads to do that to often. We name them the Ultimate pranksters, though we request permission to continue our pranks until the end of the year." Fred finished with a grimace. Harry and Ron stood and bowed.  
  
"Permission granted, terrorize the school if you like."  
  
"Thank you all for being such wonderful subjects for us to work with."  
  
"Now, any detentions given out by the Professors are to be fulfilled by Gred and Forge, following the rules set out when the rank war started."  
  
(AN: Since you can't tell it goes Harry, Ron, Harry)  
  
They both bowed again and sat, almost cringing, surely they would be given more detentions then any students ever. The teachers held a huddled conversation, there seemed to be a great argument that ended in Prof. Flairgold stepping forward and slapped Prof. Snape across the face, snapping something at him angrily that they couldn't really hear well enough to know what she'd said. She looked spitting mad. Snape retreated, looking shocked. Eventually they all took their seats and the Headmaster stood to speak.  
  
"Well, four detentions each for Harry and Ron, three each for Fred and George! It would be more, but some of the Professors" he shot a look at McGonagal, Lupin, and Flairgold, who looked back innocently. "Say that you must have studied hard to learn those spells and it must have taken you hours, plus you managed to turn in all your homework. Don't think we'll be so lenient in the future." He sat down, Lupin winked at them, Harry and Ron relaxed and breathed a sigh of relief.  
  
"Don't say it wasn't enough detentions Hermione!" Ron said firmly as she opened her mouth, she still looked disapproving.  
  
"Alright, I wasn't going to anyway. I just wanted to know if you'd seen the notice about Christmas." She replied, Harry and Ron exchanged startled glances.  
  
"Nooo, is it important?" Harry asked, keeping an eye on the staff table, surely it would be announced if it was important?" Dumbledore suddenly stood up and called for quiet, Harry turned his full attention to him.  
  
"Students, for those of you who didn't see the notice the tests you were informed of start tomorrow and will continue throughout the week. You'll each be given a schedule of what you're doing when." A sheet of parchment appeared in every hand. "Please don't share these with anyone, everyone is being tested differently depending on what they are best and worst at. The schedules indicate exactly what to do each day." He sat back down and the noise level dropped as everyone looked at their schedule, Harry glanced down at his.  
  
Sunday: Report to the gamekeeper's hut at 7:00 with your wand, cloak, wear your muggle clothes, no hat.  
  
What kind of directions were those? Harry wondered, muggle clothes, what were they good for? Travel, sports, and, yes! Dueling in muggle clothes was easier then in robes. Maybe it was some event like the maze last year, he hoped not.  
  
On Sunday Harry went down to Hagrid's Hut, and was not really surprised to see all the fifth years there. He went over to Ron and Hermione, who were sitting with Sam and Ira talking quietly.  
  
"Hey Harry, muggle clothes are so weird!" Ron said as Harry sat down beside him.  
  
"Yes but by telling us to wear these they give us some idea of what we're doing. Muggle clothes are good for fighting, traveling, running, swimming, it must be one, or all, of those." Harry responded, personally he like muggle clothes better then robes. When Madam Malkin had heard he wanted green muggle clothes and was in fifth year he had been very surprised to get these. They were very light, flexible, but almost untearable, not cotton. There was a gold band at the sleeves, collar, and bottom. And they went well with his cloak, black with a gold underside. Finally Professors, Flairgold, and Snape came over. Snape began, calling for quiet and explained the day to them.  
  
"What we have is an obstacle course to test you. It goes through the forest but is safe. It tests your ability to cope with danger, fear, perilous situations, your leadership, strengths and abilities." The Professors then led them to two paths staked out going into the woods. The students then lined up at each, Harry was first in his line. "When I shout go run, you are timed, we'll be observing you at all times. Ready, Set, GO!" Harry ran off along his path, following the markers.  
  
Harry ran along lightly, it would be a long run so he was pacing himself. He jumped a couple of hurdles and dodged a patch in the path he thought might have had a pit under a thin covering of branches and dirt. The path was by no means smooth, he jumped fallen logs and had to be careful of branches and roots. Finally he came to the first real obstacle, the bank of a lake. There was a light purple kayak on the bank with a paddle and life vest. Harry put on the vest, grabbed the paddle and jumped into the kayak. He knew how to paddle from a short group of lessons. The one time he and Dudley had gone to summer camp Harry had spent as much time away from Dudley as possible. He'd learned a lot about water sports and found he had a knack for most boating.  
  
Harry reached the far side and dragged the kayak up a bit onto the land. He had had to battle with a few Grindylows but he'd made it over. He took off the vest and ran off again along the path. Suddenly a gigantic spider leaped at him from its hiding spot beside the path. Harry dove and rolled under it, without thinking he changed his wand into a sword. Harry gripped it in his right hand, found his inner calm, becoming one with the sword, a single living weapon and began to fight. The blade whistled in the air, moving to fast to  
  
see, chopping in and finally beheading the spider. Harry backed away from the dead thing and began running again, changing the sword back into a wand as he did.  
  
Harry had only run for a bit when he saw something odd ahead, he ran up and stopped. A plant lay in the path, Devil's Snare. Harry flicked his hand at the plant as it reach tentacles for him and fire erupted around it, Harry ran on as it cringed back quickly, leaving a wide path clear.  
  
Eventually Harry reached another body of water, he'd climbed up a fifteen foot rock wall, levitated himself over a ravine, crossed a raging river by enchanting a path through it, fought and beaten a fire lizard (fifty foot long lizards that breathed fire, and fire shot from their tails, they could also conjure and throw fire balls with their claws.) Now he appeared to have to sail across. Harry jumped in the boat, fixed a hole in the bottom, called up a good wind in the right direction and added on a spell to move him across faster.  
  
Everything was going fine until a long tentacle shot out of the water beside the boat. Harry reacted by burning it quickly. He'd been expecting something, but not this. The kraken slapped at him with another tentacle, Harry stuck his wand in the water and called up the strongest banishing charm he could. The tentacle didn't even flinch away, he tried again, same result. Another tentacle rose from the water, soon followed by what looked like the kraken's dark brown back. The entire beast turned until one huge gray and black eye looked up at Harry. "Hello there, I mean you no harm." It blinked once and stirred its tentacles. "Please let me pass." Harry said hoping it would let him alone. The kraken rolled again, now the other eye peered at him. Then Harry noticed a great slash near the eye, and what looked like a mer-warrior's spear in it. Harry understood instantly what the kraken wanted. He raised his wand and flicked it, the spear rose out of the cut and dropped down into the water, a healing charm covered the gash with a pinkish scar. The kraken shifted again and slowly a tentacle curled around the boat. Harry held on tight as he and the sailboat were raised high above the water and lifted across the lak where they were set down again on the shore. "Thank you!" Harry called and the tip of a tentacle waved idly and Harry waved back before hurrying on.  
  
It was dark; the treetops formed a canopy blocking out most of the sun. The trail was narrow and rough, just when he was beginning to wonder if he'd missed the next obstacle Harry saw a small clearing up ahead. He sprinted towards it but didn't enter, he cautiously looked around and a glimmer of gold to his left caught his eye. Looking closely Harry could make out the form of a horse in the trees, no, horses didn't grow that big, it could only be a War Unicorn. Smiling grimly Harry ran into the sunlight, keeping to the left side of the clearing. Just as he reached the center the Unicorn leaped out from hiding with a shrill neigh. A jet of light shot from its horn, Harry ducked and the blast knocked over the tree behind him. The Unicorn turned and kicked, flicking out its tail of flames. A hoof struck out, Harry dived and rolled, and coming to his feet he saw the unicorn rear, screaming angrily it tilted its head down and dove at him, intending to spear him on its horn. Harry dodged again and jumped away from its flying mane of golden fire. The unicorn pivoted with amazing speed and kicked with both hind legs, turning its neck and an angle to shoot another jet of power at him. Harry dodged the kick and pointed his wand at the ground under the Unicorn, "whirya" the ground beneath its hooves turned to quicksand, in moments the Unicorn was up to its neck in the stuff. Harry stopped it from going farther under but left it in the quicksand. A strong shield covered its horn, he let the unicorn thrash itself to exhaustion. Harry waited calmly, catching his breath, knowing that it would take a long time to tire it. Realizing that the unicorn would reach a point of desperation and start to expend huge amounts of energy levitating itself out. There was nothing he could do when it started that. He raised his wand and began to lift it out. Slowly the unicorn rose up as the quicksand vanished. Finally it was standing again, panting, exhausted from fighting the quicksand. Harry waited, wand held casually in his hand. Finally it lifted its head a bit, looked at him for a moment, then charged.  
  
Harry waited until it was a few feet away then he brought up his right hand, palm forward, transferring his wand to his left. The unicorn stopped in a shower of dried leaves, dirt, and hot breath and sank the tip of its horn deep into his hand his hand. Harry gasped in pain but forced himself to stay still. For what seemed like hours but was really just minutes Harry waited, scarcely daring to breathe, time seemed to stand still. How long they stood like that Harry didn't know, but suddenly the unicorn stepped back and lifted its head to look him right in the eye. As the horn slid out of his palm the cut healed, leaving only a tiny scar so small Harry couldn't see what it really looked like in his palm. All he could se was a small white dot, no bigger then the tip of a quill.  
  
"I won't hurt you, I just want to pass." Harry said softly, now that he really got a good look at it he could see that it was a very young War Unicorn, though it was very large for its age. It couldn't have been long away from its mother. The fact that it was alone probably meant it was a stallion, chased away from its herd by a stronger, older, stallion. Harry continued to murmur encouraging things to it as he walked forward and petted it lightly on the shoulder. He could feel the unicorn tense under his hand, ready to kill him in a second. Harry gave it a last rub and walked on, he knew if he ran it might chase him and it could run a lot faster then he. He left the clearing and walked on through the woods, suddenly he heard hoof beats and the unicorn trotted up beside him. Harry sped up a bit, so did the unicorn, he reached out and rested a hand on its shoulder and broke into a run. They ran along the dark path for nearly twenty minutes, sliding down steep slopes and jumping logs and wading across small streams. Harry slowed down as he saw another clearing ahead. Only no light penetrated this one so he couldn't really see what might be lurking about. The unicorn stopped and moved off the trail, hiding itself in the bushes, stamping about nervously. Harry looked around carefully, if the unicorn was nervous it meant something bad was here.  
  
Harry touched his nose with his wand, and then his eyes and ears, giving himself more advanced senses. A smell of humans came to him, looking around Harry found he could see three people, dressed in black and clustered around something on the ground. A sudden yelp, from the animal told Harry it was a young dog. He could hear them whispering. Harry stopped the spells and walked forward. Immediately three masked figures ran into the clearing, pulling out their wands. Harry attacked first, recognizing their masks as death eaters; he had one stunned before the wizard had his wand out. The other two attacked together, Harry whirled as one ran around behind him, the unicorn kicked the man as he ran passed it, the wizard screamed in pain as the burning hoof hit him and fell over. Harry shot a full body bind and a disarming curse at the other and put a shield around the unicorn as the injured wizard flung a stream of acid at it. Harry stunned the man and grabbed his wand. The other had dodged the first of Harry's curses but had been disarmed. Harry stunned him to, and they all vanished. Harry stood there a moment in shock, all three had just been part of the test, and then another yelp brought him out of it. He ran over to where they had been and saw a young Dire wolf pup, collared and tied to a tree. The pup was gray with a white chest and belly; its eyes were yellow-gold and very bright. The backs of its ears were a copper color and its face dark. The fur on its back was a very dark gray; its tail was mostly dark gray and white with a black tip and a wide black line down its back and tail. It whined and looked up at him. It had been injured when it was captured for it had a bad burn on one shoulder and a gash on its right thigh. Harry examined the ground a few glints of metal told him that the there was a ring of hidden wolf traps around the pup. Hot anger coursed through him as he realized why. If Voldemort attacked the castle while the Phoenix was there Sirius could call on any of the Order animals for help. So Voldemort was having his death eaters exterminate all such animals near Hogwarts. Harry untied the pup and healed its injuries, he gathered all the traps and piled them in the middle of the clearing. They too vanished. Harry examined the pup for any more injuries then walked on. The unicorn appeared out of the forest beside him and the pup trotted along at his heels. Great, now I've got a Dire Wolf and War Unicorn following me, and they don't seem to be creatures conjured up to test me, they're real. What on earth do I do with them? He left the forest and walked across a field, dodging a rattlesnake that attacked him and almost failing to see a pit covered in grass in time to jump it. As he neared the other side Harry jumped another hidden pit and carefully stepped around a rope trap hanging from the only tree near the path. Suddenly the pup yelped and ran forward Harry caught it and looked at the Unicorn which was backing up quickly.  
  
Peering through the underbrush Harry saw a large cave, the path led right in. The large amount of gigantic paw prints around told him that this cave was the Dire Wolf pack's den. He picked the pup up and nervously walked in. Instantly three of the wolves came a round behind him. Harry could tell that the rest were hiding in the shadows, not approaching him in the light because he could see them. He knelt at the end of the pool of light, right where it met the shadows and put the pup down. It ran off, Harry let his eyes adjust and saw its mother licking it as the pup whined and yelped. Harry looked around, besides the pup and its mother there were nine adult wolves and four other pups. Harry waited, slowly the mother rose and approached him, she sat down a few feet in front of him. The pup ran around her and sat just in front of her on her front paws. Copying its mother. A large light gray wolf rose from its position lying in the back. It came up to Harry sniffed his hand when Harry held it out. The other adults slowly came forward to do the same, tails slowly began to wag, Harry reached out and stroked the large gray. This was the pack leader and he wanted to be friendly to him. The pups ran forwards and jumped about their elders' feet, yipping at Harry.  
  
Harry finally stood and walked towards the back of the cave, four of the wolves followed, the leader, the pup he'd saved, its mother and another, a small black wolf, well, as small as an adult Dire Wolf got. Certainly a bit bigger than any normal wolf. Harry lit up his wand and made his way through the cave. Following a trail of small red flags that glowed. He had to squeeze through small spaces and get across a river all the while the wolves followed him. But they stopped once they entered the chamber that the river ran through, and they refused to go farther. Harry glanced at the river, it was about twenty feet wide, the water looked black and Harry had no idea how deep. He conjured up a long pole, ten feet long, and leaning out over the river, dipped it in. The whole thing went under. Harry jerked back as he felt the pole shake and jump in his grip, as if something had grabbed it. He tossed in a leaf that was swept away in seconds. The current on the surface was about ten-mph, to fast for him to swim, and probably faster deeper down. Harry looked up and down the river, edging back nervously. Some creature in there had ripped off the bottom foot of his pole. No bang from a underwater rock left teeth marks and could have splintered the wood that well. "What do I do? What's in there?" He asked the wolves, kneeling beside them. The black wolf lay down and dragged itself along the floor on its belly. Then it stood and came back. Harry thought hard, what animal dragged itself with its front paws? He looked hard at the track in the mud the wolf had made. Then it hit him, a snake; a large water snake could make a track like that. The wolf had been imitating a water snake as best it knew how. He examined the pole and found that near the bite mark the wood looked like it had been sprinkled with acid, it was greenish and flimsy, pitted in places. Harry's mind jumped to a Basilisk, they're poison was known to do this to wood, his stomach churned with fear and cold dread. He thanked the wolves, and they turned back the way they had come. The pup he had saved stopped to lick his hand before following its mother. Leaving Harry to deal with this dilemma on his own.  
  
Finally Harry stood and waved his wand "freezius!" the water froze and Harry considered it and thought hard, ice was not enough. He put his wand back un his sleeve and placed a hand on the ice, slowly he reached out with his mind, forcing what he wanted to happen but willpower, soon a rock surface soon covered it. Harry stepped out on the rock, it stayed firm, he ran across quickly. Suddenly the rock behind him exploded as the Basilisk forced a coil up through, then the head rose out. Harry landed on the other side and turned to face it, removing the ice and rock as he did. The gigantic head towered over him; Harry glared right into its eyes. A feeling of icy shock passed over him and he covered his eyes, remembering it could kill him with a stare. The Basilisk hissed angrily, then was silent, Harry stood still, then slowly peeked out. Something nudged his foot. Harry yelped and jumped backwards. The snake regarded him with one eye, waiting. Harry edged toward the trail, the snake followed. Through the twisting turns along the tunnel Harry led the snake, finally he saw daylight and ran towards it. He ran out of the cave and the snake followed. It turned to Harry again, who found he could look at its eyes without trouble. The snake was beautiful, emerald green slowly shifting to a deep sapphire blue with a line of gold scales down its back. Thank you Ssspeaker. I have been trapped down there for nearly two weeksss. I couldn't find my way out. Harry stared, then recovered from his shock, he had forgotten he could speak Parseltounge. You're welcome, and thank you for not trying to eat me, I have had some bad dealings with Basilisks. The snake looked a little unhappy. I wouldn't eat you, we Basilisksss don't like human, contrary to what your kind believe. We all know of the Dark Basilisk in the Chamber of Sssecrets. By the way, all usss sssnakes have chosssen, you or the dark Ssspeaker you call Voldemort. 99.8% have chosssen you, all except Nagini'sss kind. Jussst call, and we'll come to help you fight that monsssster. Good by Harry Emrys James Gryffindor Ambrosius Potter, and good luck to you. It slithered off into the woods, leaving Harry staring after it, what had it just called him? He hadn't been able to understand it all, besides Harry - James - - Potter, what else had it called him? He shrugged it off and continued.  
  
Thirty minutes, one sword fight with a faceless figure and an archery contest with the same figure, a walk across a bridge made with one rope for his feet and one for each hand, a climb down a tree, for the cliff face was made of smooth ice and no magic seemed to work here. And parachute drop off another cliff to land in a field, Harry saw the end of the test. The red flags abruptly ended not to far ahead. Then a misted figure appeared ten feet ahead and solidified into Voldemort. Harry reacted without thinking. Knowing his wand and Voldemort's didn't function against each other Harry didn't use his. He held up his hands and called all the power he could to him. But it just wasn't enough, Harry searched frantically and finally found something to make him angry, visions of all those who had died and their deaths were scene from many of his dreams. Rage boiled inside Harry at this thing that had done this to so many. Lightning crackled down in three huge bolts, fire roared from his hands, the ground heaved and shook, splitting open beneath the Dark Lord's feet. The lightning hit and Voldemort screamed in agony, the fire hit and he screamed louder, beating at the flames while shaking madly from the lethal amounts of electricity flowing through him. He toppled into the abyss Harry had opened as dirt spurted out. Harry closed it quickly, he hadn't meant tear the place apart. He called up more soil and the ground settled he ran on to the end of the flags. Harry glanced around; a red line ran cross the ground, he'd emerged at a right angle to where he'd started, along the edge of the Forest. He ran towards the people cheering and across the line.  
  
"Yeah! Great job Harry!" Ron shouted enthusiastically, pounding his panting friend on the back, Harry gasped and smiled, turning to Prof. Flairgold who'd been watching his run.  
  
"Well done Harry, fastest run in History, fifth years have been taking this test at all schools since 1781, and you've done best by far." She nodded to Ron who saluted and sprinted into the forest. Harry sat down on the grass beside Sam and Ira. "Is Hermione in there?" He asked, looking about.  
  
"Yeah, she was second for the other course. People are going in at odd times, I think it's when they're passed a certain point. Neville went in about ten minutes after you, where were you then? What happened in there?" Morgan asked eagerly, tossing Harry a water bottle from a large bin and sitting down.  
  
"Um, well I think I was on one of the long running pieces then. Sorry I don't think I'm allowed to say anything else. Can you see anything from out here? There aren't any walls." Harry opened the bottle and poured some over his head before drinking the rest. Sam shook his head,  
  
"No, there are walls, just invisible to the person in the course. They told us we would encounter a few odd creatures, and duel a bit. No ones listening, what else is there?" He asked.  
  
Harry checked the two teachers, they were both sitting about twenty feet back, each looking into a bunch of bowls. That must be how they observed the students.  
  
"Well there are animals, I'm not going to name them. There's a lot of running, the obstacles are at intervals, you run along the path between them. There's hidden pits you have to watch out for, lakes to cross a cave to get through, be really careful at the river in the cave. You could seriously get killed by that creature. You just have to win over some of the animals, and they'll help you a bit. You have to do a variety of muggle boating, and outdoor sports. I feel sorry for any of you who are afraid of heights." Harry went quiet as Crabbe entered, there were only five students left who hadn't gone, and only he had come out so far.  
  
Harry sat there, not talking to anyone really, they were already nervous enough, eventually he got bored and stood up, there was only Morgan left to go in, and walked over to where the professors were sitting.  
  
"Could I watch?" He asked, they both nodded, not looking up from their work. Each held a clipboard on which they were making notes and checking things off. Harry sat down and looked around. Snape was watching the blue bowls and Flairgold the red. He looked through the red until he found Hermione's. She was about halfway through, battling the unicorn. Harry winced, she was doing really bad and looked exhausted. He glanced at the one next to hers and grinned. Malfoy had fallen in a pit in the field, where you couldn't use magic, and looked to be having great difficulty getting out. He moved around, studying others strategies of getting through. Ron was having great difficulty scaling a cliff without magic. Ira almost lost the battle with the spider. None were even close to coming out.  
  
"Harry where did you learn to fence like that? Prof. Flairgold asked rather absently, not looking up from Sam's as he fought off the kraken in the lake.  
  
"I taught myself, from books mostly. It really isn't that hard if you find the right books." Harry replied, grimacing as Ira's kayak flipped on a rock just as she reached the opposite shore. Ron was past the cliff and had entered the longest running section. Here the trail was very narrow and it went over all types of terrain.  
  
"And what was that lightning and fire? Why didn't you tell anyone you were so adept in wandless magic?" Prof. Fairgold said, now studying Morgan who was reading the directions on how to use a muggle bicycle. Harry didn't answer, grinning happily at Goyle, who had allowed a hinkypunk to confuse him and was waste deep in green mud, trying to find the trail again where it ran through a bog. He had no idea of how to walk in a bog, fortunately if someone got lost a trail of purple flags would, after about twenty minutes, lead them back to the main trail.  
  
Harry had entered the obstacle course at 7:20, and gotten out at 9:30. Tanya had entered at the same time he did but didn't get out until 11:03. Harry now held the record for the fastest time, beating the previous winner(s) (they had been tied) Sirius and Albus, by twenty seven minutes. When Tanya came out she was injured from a bunch of the obstacles. Prof. Flairgold had called over an order healer to bandage her. It was then that Harry learned of the real scoring, done by injuries, skill, level of magic used, abilities, time, and how many points you earned on each obstacle.  
  
"For example, the maximum number of points for each obstacle is fifteen. If you don't do perfectly you can't get all fifteen. Speed only accounts for four of those fifteen." Prof. Flairgold explained to Harry. "Other things that count are how many spells used, were they advanced, intermediate, or beginner, did you panic, how well you worked with the animals, extra talents, like your fencing. Reflexes, reactions to different forms of danger, yata yata yata. The person watching gives you and overall grade on each obstacle, added with your over all time, subtract for injuries and mess ups. The highest possible is 1500, you got 1515. Extra for your astonishing abilities with extreme magic, and speed that battle with Voldemort was spectacular. Sirius and Albus each got 1500, a perfect score. Each run is recorded and both teachers judge each, if they don't come to the same conclusion then a third judges. Both judges have a spell on them so they are absolutely fair. This evening after dinner we'll switch and grade the other half of the class, the bowls save the entire run for us to view as many times as needed. " Harry, his head spinning a bit, spent the rest of the afternoon watching his class mates struggle through. Finally the last emerged at 6:26, four minutes before dinner.  
  
"Good Gryffindor! That was something wasn't it?" Ron said as the Gryffindor fifth years sat down at the table near each other. In general this evening everyone was sitting near the others of their age group, chatting about what had happened that day.  
  
"I still can't believe you got the best run in history Harry. I didn't know all fifth years took that! It didn't say anything about it in Hogwarts a History." Hermione said, making herself a salad. Harry and Ron rolled their eyes at each other.  
  
"Not everyone worships that book Hermione, and every little fact about the school isn't in it. What did you get Sam?" Ron asked, turning to Sam on his right.  
  
"I got 1264, not too bad, a little disappointing, but I'm not that fast a runner." The other boy replied, Ron was about to say something but stopped when Dumbledore raised a hand for silence.  
  
"Now you've all finished your first day of the tests, now these aren't going to become a yearly thing, fifth years always take the one they took today, and so do sixth and seventh years. It will become something all first years take along with their exams. For the rest of you this is only to gather information. So we can see how much you've come when you reach fifth year. Your schedules will now include tomorrow's activity. Thank you." He sat down and Ron pulled out his schedule, Harry looked over at it, his was in his dorm.  
  
Monday: Report to Defense class room at 7:30.  
  
"I wonder what is next? Another obstacle course?" Ron asked.  
  
"No, maybe a test, written, of some sort. Ugh! I hate exams, maybe it'll be something fun." Harry said, trying to imagine what sort of test they could possibly give.  
  
The next morning Harry, Ron, and Hermione went to the Defense room after breakfast. They took three desks in a row and waited with the rest of the class.  
  
"I wonder where they are?" Ira asked after three minutes had passed without any sign of the professors, the class was getting restless. Eventually the two Professors came, they could hear them arguing very loudly as they approached the class room.  
  
"Severus I am NOT having any of your biased attitude! I will not stand for it! Any more of it and I'll just judge the students on my own, you are less then a useless flobber worm at being helpful. Just because you are head of Slytherin house does NOT mean you rule the world! Got that?" Prof. Flairgold was shouting angrily, the students exchanged worried looks.  
  
"It is only fair! Everything gets counted against them!" Snape roared back.  
  
"FAIR! You wouldn't know the meaning of the word if it walked up and kicked you in the face! Call yourself a teacher? I've seen TROLLS with a higher IQ! You raving mad son of a b****!." The class shifted nervously, everyone knew Prof. Flairgold had a temper, she'd turned Miss Noris to ice for making her trip twice in a row.  
  
"I believe that I have more authority in this then you, and I say I will judge that way!" Snape's response sounded a little nervous, like he hadn't meant to bring up authority, he opened the door just as Prof. Flairgold raised her hand and shot a blue bolt of light at him from her finger tips. There was a bang and Snape the flobberworm writhed on the floor.  
  
"Has the conversation turned to authority Severus? Let me tell you a little bit about the authority I wield." She spoke calmly and coldly as a collar appeared around Snape's neck and he was dragged from the room. There was a short quiet as the students sat nervously, wondering what would happen. A man's scream of agony echoed suddenly up the corridor, it was cut off abruptly. A moment later Prof. Flairgold was back, alone.  
  
"Most sorry, though I truly hate to have to apologize for that sorry excuse for a teacher. Prof. Snape will not be judging your tests today, in view of his unfairness I have removed him for the day. I had to make him drink many truth potions then rejudge yesterday's test before giving you your scores. He is most unfair, but you know that. Now today we have logic and problem solving tests." A sheet with logic problems appeared before everyone. The class set to work, not making a sound, not wanting to anger her further.  
  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _  
  
Remus Lupin and Mundungus Fletcher were patrolling the halls (Remus's class didn't start for another half hour) they were down in the dungeons, passing a locked cell, when Remus noticed something odd inside. He opened the door and looked in.  
  
Severus Snape was collared and chained to the wall by his neck, wrists, and ankles. Only he was now Severus Snape the half/troll. Both of his eyes were a bluish black and he had a large purple bruise on the side of his head. Remus gasped and fell over laughing, a half-human half-troll dressed in a frilly pink medieval festival dress was hilarious. Mentally he sent Sirius the image, knowing he'd find it very funny. You should really be here, this is the funniest thing I every saw (Image) Miranda did it, she lost her temper with his biasedness I guess. Poor thing was supposed to oversee the fifth year tests with him. He heard Sirius howling with laughter, and hoped the other didn't break a rib. Na, don't worry about that, give my congratulations to Miranda for such a wonderful prank. And do take a picture, it will go nicely on the wall in the great hall. Mundungus and Remus sent the image out to every order member, soon it was a common thing to see Order members laughing as they walked through the hallway.  
  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _  
  
Harry, Ron, and Hermione finished their tests and went off to look at what Prof. Flairgold had done to Snape. They had finished their tests easily, Harry ending with an above perfect score 185, Ron with 163, and Hermione with 171. (180 was perfect) They found a long line of students, they were being allowed to pass by the cell in a long line. The line was slowly moving forward as there was a long piece of carpet that carried them along.  
  
"Oh my! What luck! We get a teacher with a real sense of humor! We should start taking lessons from her Harry!" Ron gasped out between laughs as their ride ended, Harry couldn't answer, he felt like he'd cracked most of his ribs from laughing too much.  
  
Snape didn't come to dinner that evening, he was to embarrassed. At breakfast the next day when he finally emerged students were shouting out jokes about the event loudly across the hall. The picture on the wall did nothing to help, even Dumbledore was laughing his head off.  
  
The week passed quickly, the rest of the tests were relatively easy. Fencing, archery, general spells, and a test in which they had to do the right spell or make the right potion to get through a barrier. Harry scored higher then the best possible in everything and Ron and Hermione did very well. The entire school noticed that Snape avoided Prof. Flairgold whenever possible. There was another row about his being biased on the last day that ended with Prof. Flairgold breaking Snape's nose, jaw, and collarbone, giving him two more black eyes, and hanging him by his wrists from the great hall ceiling. Snape didn't come out of his rooms or the hospital wing for a full day and a half. Strangely Dumbledore, who would normally have fired a teacher for practically mauling another, was silent about it. 


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6  
  
Not many students signed up to stay over the Holidays, but both Ron and Hermione did. On Christmas Eve all those staying gathered for a big dinner. Since there were only eight students staying everyone was sitting at one table, some of the Order had come to join in, the others were off with their families or working.  
  
Harry, Ron and Hermione picked the three chairs at one end of the table. The students had arrived first and now waited for the staff, finally they all came, being chased by a snow man which was pelting them with blue snowballs that dyed your hair blue. They sat, giving Ron and Harry suspicious looks, still a few seats were empty. Professors. Flairgold and McGonagal came in talking with Dumbledore. Followed in a few moments by Sirius, Remus, and three other Order members.  
  
"I seem to remember you once saying you'd never teach. What happened there?" A witch Harry recognized as Arabella asked, sitting down on Prof. Flairgold's left.  
  
"Actually it took me three hours to convince her to leave her work on the Fortress." Sirius responded, taking a seat between Prof. Lupin and Prof. Flairgold.  
  
"Ah, how is the Fortress going?" Mundungus asked curiously  
  
"Well, it'll be ready in about a year, maybe a bit more. It's actually starting to function correctly, and not look like such a dump. We had to make a few passages and some more caves and entrances. And I didn't say I'd never teach, I said when the moon turns blue and pigs fly. What I don't understand is why you insist on calling it a Fortress Sirius, it's a meteor crater!" Prof. Flairgold said, flicking her fingers at a snowman, it blew apart, leaving a lump of snow on the ground. Sirius thought about his answer for a moment.  
  
"A well renovated meteor crater that I must say looks more like a very large valley then a crater. Surrounded by mountains that look like the battlements of a Fortress. And I didn't name it." He finally replied, another snowman appeared near the door and he turned just as it flung a blue snowball, the snowball hit his cloak and was flung off…straight into Snape's face, there were chuckles all around as he brushed the snow off, leaving his face a brilliant shade of blue.  
  
"Oh thanks, if I really wanted to have my face turned blue I'd do it myself!" Snape spat at Sirius, who grinned broadly.  
  
"Or start acting biased again while my wife is in hearing. That was very amusing, had the whole patrol laughing themselves sick." He said, Snape flushed, but it was purple beneath the blue, causing more laughter.  
  
"You're married? It wasn't on the sheet you filled out when you started teaching?" Flitwick said, surprised.  
  
"Well we are, we were married about two weeks before I got sent to Azkaban." Sirius replied with a slight grimace.  
  
"Excuse me, but why are you all here at Hogwarts if you have a, a, Fortress." Sam asked curiously.  
  
"Well we're here because, one: the things needed the initiation ceremony are here and cannot be moved until a suitable place is made. Two: for the students protection. Three: Because the Fortress isn't done yet. Four: because we need a base that is already defended by enough enchantments to do an army in, a place we don't have to worry to much about defending. And lastly: Three of us are teaching here, one of us runs the school, and we are looking for students who might be good in the Order or students who will probably end up as death eaters." Sirius replied, ticking off them on his fingers. Sam nodded and went back to his food, Harry realized that Sirius had not named one thing, Hogwarts was well known, until the base was done and named it might be easier to have a base that was known as a strong place where the Order only made it more formidable.  
  
At that moment Harry bit into something hard in his chocolate cake. He spat it out and something lay on his plate glittering. It was a beautiful chain necklace with alternating links of gold and diamond.  
  
Harry left dinner that evening loaded with things from the magic crackers, he'd even found a lock pick in his goblet. Besides that he had a hat to go with his dress robes, a chocolate frog collectors book, with slots for different cards. He knew a whole set was worth about fifty Galleons because some cards were so rare. A small bag of owl treats, a prankster handbook, five Filibuster Wet-Start Fireworks, a small bag of Bertie Bots Every Flavor Beans, The Most Unusual Tastes Only. A Quill sharpening knife, a bottle of Glowing ink, and a new pet cat. The tiny silver kitten with black stripes had come from one of the crackers, Harry was trying to decide if that had anything to do with the fact he'd been thinking about how nice it would be to have a pet cat when he'd broken the cracker. The little thing sat on his shoulder, purring contentedly, Harry just hoped Hedwig wouldn't mind.  
  
He Ron and Hermione spent a lot of the next day watching the Order of the Phoenix go through a training procedure, they were given a piece of ground to cover with obstacles on it and a target to stun, and they had to do it all without being seen. Harry, Ron, and Hermione spent sometime hidden around a corner of the building practicing with wandless fire. That evening they had a furious snowball/capture the flag fight with the other students, the snow was four and a half feet deep. They had two teams, you were trying to capture the other team's flag. Each team had a starting point with a flag, they could dig tunnels through the snow and try to get the other team's flag while keeping their own. You could throw snowballs around too, if one hit you or a member from another team tagged you you were in jail. Harry's team won when Ron and Harry dug a long tunnel around the main fighting and up behind the other team. They captured the flag, though Harry had to 'sacrifice' himself and get caught so Ron could get the flag back to their team. After five games of this Harry's team was declared winner, (they had won three games) and ended the day with a raging snowball fight.  
  
The threesome spent the evening sitting in front of the fire roasting marshmallows and telling jokes.  
  
"Yo! Harry old boy get up!" Ron's slightly worried voice came slowly through the pain. Harry sat up, his scar was bleeding freely, he vaguely remembered a dream, he flicked his hand and bandages appeared winding themselves around his forehead.  
  
"I'm okay, just tired, that's all." He said in response to Ron's worried look.  
  
"Maybe you should go see madam Pomfrey." Ron suggested, Harry shook his head, he could hardly remember the dream, but it must have been bad.  
  
"No, I'm alright, just a slight headache." Ron clearly though that if Harry's scar was dripping blood he was not okay, but didn't argue.  
  
Harry glanced at the foot of the bed, a small pile of presents lay there. He chuckled and happily picked up the first, from Ron and Hermione. It contained a miniature quidditch pitch complete with players that you could move about, designing almost entire games before hand.  
  
"Oh wow, thanks guys, this is great!" He said enthusiastically. Sirius's present contained a box of chocolate frogs. A basic charm making set from Sam, and a package for him and Ron with one or two of all Fred and George's jokes in it, their letter explained that since Harry had helped finance it he should get something from it.  
  
After breakfast Harry viewed his dream with Ron and Hermione, they spent nearly an hour discussing it.  
  
"Well we know Voldemort will attack the school with dementors and death eaters to back him. Something bad will happen to you Harry. You'll save a bunch of lives, there will be injuries to students and staff. We should all prepare for a mass attack sometime in the next month or so." Ron finished with a sigh, Hermione looked skeptical. Harry sent the parchment with the dream to Sirius for him to see and spent the day doing homework in the library.  
  
Wheeeeeewww! Harry heard Ron's soft whistle. He ducked into the shadows and ran down the hallway and around the corner. Ron and Hermione were waiting for him. They were right outside the Slytherin dungeon, it was the second night back after the holidays.  
  
"You got it? You got it?" Ron asked eagerly, holding out his hand. Harry tossed him the Marauders Map and pulled a small bag out of his pocket.  
  
"Alright, it's clear? Lets go. Arachnid." Hermione urged, looking around, they'd already had to escape Mrs. Noris twice. The doorway to Slytherin common room opened, Harry had come down after dinner and gotten the password as the Slytherins went in. They walked in, Ron stationed himself near the door with the map on guard while Harry and Hermione went to work. A simple trash bin spell covered the floor knee deep in garbage. Harry levitated the mess and attached it to the ceiling while Hermione put up an illusion to hide it. "Cameras in place, trigger spell ready, is the coast clear Ron?" She asked as Harry rearranged the bricks in the wall and placed in a camera. Ron nodded and they set off to the Potions room.  
  
Yesterday they had been making a hairloss potion, Snape and been complementing Malfoy all class on his. And had taken away thirty points from Gryffindor because Malfoy had set off a firework on their side of the room. The three wanted revenge. Malfoy was going to present his potion in class tomorrow, and was going to test it on someone of his choice. Hermione charmed the floor and a tall shelf while Harry searched among the students potions until he found Malfoy's. The hairloss potion was in two parts, the potion, which was then mixed with a special tablet that was made from another potion. Harry switched Malfoy's tablet with one of his own design. His contained different chemicals, when mixed with mandrake siliva it exploded, dyeing anything it hit bright pink. It would also explode when mixed with any fruit juice. He took out the tablet Malfoy had made and threw it out, replacing it with the exploding one.  
  
"Let's get out of hear before Filch comes." Ron whispered, Harry closed the bottle and put it back on the shelf.  
  
"Alright, come on Hermione." They hurried back off to their common room.  
  
The next day in Potions Malfoy sauntered in smirking. Harry, Ron and Hermione waited impatiently.  
  
"Class be quiet! Now! I've asked Draco to show the class his potion and then demonstrate how it works on someone. Draco?" Snape handed Draco his two phials and a cup. Harry, Ron, and Hermione watched eagerly as he poured the potion into the cup then opened the other phial and dumped in the tablet. Boom! The cup erupted, spewing orange smoke everywhere. When it had cleared Malfoy was standing there, his robes were pink, and so was Snape's face.  
  
"MALFOY WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO??? DON'T YOU LISTEN TO ANYTHING I SAY??? I TOLD YOU THREE TIMES NOT TO PUT IN TO MUCH MANDRAKE SILIVA AND TO PUT IN THREE SPOONFULS OF POWDERED DRIED DRAGON EYE!!! DETENTION FOR YOU FOR A WEEK. YOU'RE GOING TO CLEAN THE ENTIRE FIRST FLOOR AND HOSPITALL WING AND TROPHY ROOM EVERY NIGHT THIS WEEK!" Snape roared, Malfoy tried to move and stepped into Hermione's spells, he tripped into the shelf, potions bottles went spilling everywhere, Malfoy screamed as huge green warts appeared on his face and his eyes grew as big was dinner plates. He shrunk till he was as small as a first year. Snape was beside himself with rage. He grabbed Malfoy by the collar of his robes and dragged him from the room. They could hear him shouting all the way down the hall about getting Malfoy expelled. The Gryffindors collapsed laughing.  
  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _  
  
  
  
Life in the castle continued normally for nearly three weeks, no sign of Voldemort anywhere in the world. And this was making Harry worry, something was wrong.  
  
"Urgh! I can't believe her! Write a four foot long essay on the history of divination! That'll take all weekend! Ron growled. Harry scanned the forest, he was sure he'd heard something. They were at the forest's edge and the sun was setting. Tiger, his half-grown kitten, rubbed against his ankles and purred. Care of Magical Creatures had ended ten minutes ago and they were the only people left on the grounds. "Come on Harry, the sun'll be gone soon, and I don't want to be out here then." Ron said, Harry stared into the trees, not answering, near the end of CoMC he'd seen shapes moving about, he was sure of it. Ron tapped him on the shoulder, clearly impatient. Suddenly something moved, Harry knelt on the ground and peered into the bushes. Ron backed away hurriedly. A very large dog poked its head out. Not a dog Harry corrected himself as he rocked back onto his heels hurriedly, then he recognized it. Tiger ran forward and rubbed noses with it, Harry rubbed Tiger lightly, apparently that cat didn't see anything dangerous about this wolf. It was the Dire wolf pup he'd saved. Though it wasn't much of a pup anymore, from the looseness of its skin and the size of its paws in relation to the rest of it, it still had growing to do. It was already bigger then any regular wolf and most Dire wolves, the creature was going to be a complete monster for size once it was done growing.  
  
"Hey there. Good to see you again." Harry said, holding out his hand for it to smell. It sniffed his hand lightly, slowly its tail began to wag, and it nuzzled his hand. Harry, nice to see you. Harry gasped, it had spoken to him. We dire wolves have some telepathic abilities, before I was to young to use them. And I wasn't sure if I wanted to speak with a human. Harry was shocked.  
  
"Uh Harry? What's going on?" Ron asked, he had his wand out and looked like he was about to start panicking.  
  
"It's alright Ron, he's a friend. He's the dire wolf I told you about from the test." How are you? And why are you here? Harry asked, hoping his telepathy would work right, he was very unpracticed at it. I'm fine, leader of my pack now. I was in the area and had never seen the castle before. And I met up with him, we decided to come see you. It flicked its tail as the war Unicorn emerged from the trees. Harry went over to it and petted its shoulder lightly. You know the only other person who can speak like you can is The Phoenix. How odd that another, not even in the Order, should have that ability. Harry was startled, though now that he thought about it that was odd. It was then he realized that it was the war unicorn who had spoken this time. Well it is nice to see you again, what are your names? He asked, wondering if they even had them. I am Flame, and this is Lightning. The dire wolf answered for both, Ron was clearly getting nervous. Well Flame, Lightning, I have to go now, see you around. Harry said, both vanished into the trees without a trace.  
  
"Harry? What happened?" Ron asked, looking over his shoulder as they walked to the castle.  
  
"They just wanted to say hi, some how I can communicate with them telepathically. Weird huh?"  
  
"Uh Harry? Do you mean you're on telepathic speaking terms with those creatures?" Ron asked, looking a little disbelieving.  
  
"Yes, they're friends, they're really nice."  
  
"Harry, no one is supposed to be able to do that, it's just not possible, even the Phoenix can't without the Phoenix power he's given." Ron said, sounding just a little shocked.  
  
"Well I can, kinda odd, oh well, I never said I was normal, just want to be. I wonder if they can talk to anyone? Do you want to come try it some time?" Ron nodded, and opened his mouth to reply, Hermione appeared at the door.  
  
"Neville said you two were going into the forest. Really! You're PREFECTS!!!" She said angrily, glaring.  
  
"Actually we were just, um, socializing with a few of Harry's friends, don't get your feathers in a tangle. Just cause were prefects doesn't mean we can't have fun." Ron replied, glaring back. Harry looked over his shoulder again as he went in, he could have sworn he heard a wolf howl.  
  
"Harry, could I talk to you for a minute?" Harry turned, it was Dumbledore, he waved at Ron and Hermione to go on and walked over to the headmaster.  
  
"Yes?" He asked, surely he wasn't in trouble for having some animal friends?  
  
"You must know by now that the test you took, wasn't normal. Those animals weren't meant to be real. You obviously have a gift with magical creatures. Tell me, have you encountered any others?" Harry blinked, why would Dumbledore want to know that? And how did he know about Lightning and Flame? Sirius must have told him Harry realized, Sirius, with his connection to the Order animals would know about all those who lived around Hogwarts.  
  
"No professor I haven't, unless you count Tiger and a basilisk in that test, and the Kraken in the lake wasn't really trying to kill me just scare me. Why?"  
  
"It is unusual, such a mix of abilities." The headmaster seemed to be lost in thought for a moment. "Did you speak with the basilisk?"  
  
"When I remembered I could, why? It's just a snake." Harry was getting nervous.  
  
"Did it tell you anything unusual, odd, unexpected?" Now Harry wasn't just nervous, a tinge of anger showed in his voice, Dumbledore was keeping something from him.  
  
"He told me that 99.8% of all snakes will side with me in the battles to come. However I know this is not new news to you, what were you expecting?" Dumbledore looked thoughtful at Harry's response.  
  
"Nothing really, as you said, it's just a snake. Are you sure that's all?" Harry kept his temper in check; this was stupid, something was wrong.  
  
"Professor could you please tell me what you were expecting it to say, I don't remember anything else, besides that it was grateful to me for showing it that way out of that cave."  
  
"I wasn't really expecting anything. Did it call you by your name?" Harry nodded,  
  
"What did it call you? Can you remember, I need to know. Think Harry, did it just call you by your name? No part of it that you couldn't understand or anything like that?" Harry went on guard, Dumbledore wanted information on what the snake had called him? Why? What was Dumbledore keeping from him? This, spaced-out extra thoughtful and suspicious attitude was most unlike the headmaster. Then he remembered, he hadn't been able to understand, but the snake had addressed him as more then Harry James Potter. In the back of his mind he sensed his anger affecting the weather, mentally he clamped down on the forming thunderstorm. It would do no good to make Dumbledore suspicious.  
  
"He called me a speaker, a Parseltounge, and by my name." Knowing Dumbledore would use his eye power to see if Harry was telling the truth Harry brought up strong walls before looking the headmaster in the eye.  
  
"He called you Harry James Potter? That's all?" He frowned a little as Harry nodded. "Oh, well I don't want to keep you from your homework, go on." Harry swallowed his anger and turned to leave, as he reached the top of the staircase Dumbledore spoke again.  
  
"We are going to have a long conversation some day soon Harry, on what you're not telling me. That snake told you something else, but you're not telling me." Harry stopped, and with his back to Dumbledore grinned and said coolly, almost coldly.  
  
"I will look forward to learning what you are keeping from me headmaster." And started the climb to Gryffindor tower. Leaving Albus Dumbledore standing by the front doors, watching the sky outside thoughtfully.  
  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _  
  
Harry sat upright gasping. The dream still vivid in his mind, he grabbed his glasses pulled on his robes and hurried down to the common room. Harry glanced around, everyone else was asleep, he summoned his wand, which he had forgotten and reached out mentally. Sirius? Sirius we've got a MAJOR problem! He waited, his telepathy skills weren't all that good, but he knew Sirius had heard. Harry? What's wrong? A confused voice asked, Harry located it as coming from the third floor corridor the Order lived in. Sirius was awake and working on plans in case Voldemort attacked. I just had another dream, Voldemort is going to attack tomorrow at six p.m. A sense of astonishment came to him from Sirius. Harry ran towards the corridor, he opened the door and hurried in. Remus beckoned him into a room to his left, Tiger bounded in after him.  
  
Ten order members were gathered around a table, most looking through papers, Sirius was standing at one end. They were looking very worried. Dumbledore gave Harry a small reassuring attempt at a smile from his seat on Sirius's right. Maybe he'd forgotten their conversation two days before. The only others Harry recognized were Remus, Snape, Mundungus, and Arrabella Figg. Miranda had gone on a Patrol.  
  
"Are you sure Harry?" Harry nodded, he could sense telepathic messages being sent out to everyone in the Order, they'd all be awake and ready shortly. "Tomorrow at six, with what followers?" Sirius asked.  
  
"82 death eaters, 2,000 dementors, 20 snakes-of Nagini's species, and 700 Mesmerd." Harry reeled off, gulping at the Mesmerd, the gigantic furred and winged creatures spit fire, their long tails ended in a spiked, club-like bone, and had no arms or legs. Their average wingspan was about twenty feet. Their smell was enough to make people cower in fear, for that was the smell they continuously gave off. Tiger sat down on the table and rubbed against Harry's hand reassuringly. Sirius nodded at Harry to take a seat in the one remaining chair.  
  
"We'll tell the students tomorrow morning, they can help prepare. We're going to have to come up with more plans of defense, quickly. Maybe-"  
  
"I've already got them." Harry interrupted, everyone stared at him. "I've based them on what I've seen in my visions, when we won." Sirius mentally sent him a brief feeling of approval for him to continue. Pointedly ignoring Dumbledore's sharp stare. Harry flicked his wand at the table. The surface began to change, soon a to-scale model of a bird's eye view of Hogwarts and the surrounding forest rose.  
  
"How about you explain what these defenses are." Sirius said, five more order members, leaders of the Patrols still at Hogwarts, came in and stood along the walls.  
  
"Okay, throughout the forest we set traps for them. Pits, magical nooses, and sleep mist. Enchanted mist that they can't see through that will eventually cause them to fall asleep. We can also get all the creatures in there to attack trespassers. The entire operation can be overseen from broomstick. Illusions, hidden spikes with poisoned tips. Here at the castle all the defensive enchantments can be used, the students can fight as well if needed."  
  
Harry continued for nearly half and hour, outlining his plans. The order listening with interest as he told them what each patrol (group of Order agents) should do. Finally he sat back, he could think of nothing he'd missed, now it was time to see what they made of it.  
  
"And your part in this?" He was surprised at the only question, none of them had questioned his orders or disputed his plans. But Sirius's question set him a little off balance.  
  
"I'll be up on top of the astronomy tower for most of it. I'll call up a thunderstorm, without rain, I can then electrocute them. From that I can build an Advanced Patronus which will kill the Dementors on impact, hundreds with one spell. I'll also summon up two tornadoes and enchant them only to harm the enemy. That's about the limit of my weather magic. It will also give me a good point from which to attack the Mesmerd, my lightning bolts should be able to easily get through any shields they form." Sirius regarded Harry for a moment, since he wasn't surprised Harry realized that Sirius had known about his ability to summon lightning and tornadoes already. The gasps from everyone else also told him Sirius hadn't shared that knowledge. Dumbledore, holding back his anger rather poorly, started to rise, but thought better of it and sat again.  
  
"We'll only be able to fight with what's here. All communications besides owl post to the rest of the world are being cut off for about a month, some major problem at the Ministry or something. That also means we don't have the rest of the Order, they can't get here in time and there aren't that many Order animals in the area. Though I haven't gotten a chance to check recently." He murmured, he must have been giving orders mentally for suddenly everyone in the Order's wing was moving about preparing. Harry shifted, his War Unicorn friend was out their, now leader of the herd, they could help, as could Flame and his dire wolves. But Sirius knew about them. Sirius walked around the model, studying it intently. "Alright, Harry how about you get ready, Albus alert the students at breakfast, no classes today. Severus, you'll need to prepare for the next death eaters meeting, try not to do anything to alter Voldemort's plans…" He continued but Harry didn't hear, sensing he had been dismissed Harry left the room quickly, he had a lot to do. Tiger raced out behind him, the cat followed Harry everywhere, which was good when he was trying to pull pranks at night. Tiger had beaten Mrs. Noris in over a dozen cat fights so Mrs. Noris always avoided him.  
  
"So let me get this straight, so far we are the only students who know about this. And, as prefects, we'll be called upon to keep the students safe and stop them from panicking. I'm starting to get a feeling of Armageddon here Harry." Ron said, he looked slightly frantic, Hermione appeared to be in shock. Harry had woken both of them and told them what was going on.  
  
"Yes exactly, all the prefects are going to be needed. You shouldn't have too much trouble, Gryffindors are a hard bunch to scare, but I won't be able to help you much. Sorry, I've got to work on the schools defenses and battle plans, the order has to know exactly what needs to be done." Harry said, he was standing at the window with his eyes closed "testing" the wind, the conditions were perfect, he wouldn't have any trouble bringing up a thunderstorm.  
  
"You, are giving instruction to the Order of the Phoenix Harry? Well good luck, you'll  
  
end up being a member anyway you know. We'll do our part, and you do yours, don't worry about us. We're the best at dueling and any other form of fighting in the entire school excluding you. You just concentrate on your part. Come on Ron."  
  
"Thanks guys, that takes a load off my mind." Harry smiled at them gratefully and grabbed his broom and leaped out the window. Hermione pulled Ron from the room, Harry could hear them gathering the house in the common room. 


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7  
  
It was easier to call up a storm outdoors in the air. Harry flew to the center of the grounds, just in front of the school, nearly eighty feet up. He stood up on his broom and raised his arm skyward. A low rumble of thunder was heard in the distance as a response to his summons. I'll see you again just before the battle Harry Sirius voice came through his mind, Harry fixed his attention on having the storm ready and waiting by that time. Ahead of him a score of order members on broomstick were spread out over the forest, flying low, jets of light issuing from wands as they set up the mist and traps. The castle glowed brilliantly, Sirius's powers triggering every defense enchantment the school possessed. Another flood of light around the school, this time Harry identified Sirius, Albus, Remus, Mundungus, and four others he didn't know. They had joined powers with Sirius working the magic, the spell would provide more then enough power to start up the defenses, all security possible was being enforced upon the students who had just been told of the attack. None were allowed outside or in certain sections of the building. Soon, soon they would know Voldemort's true strength. A wizards power could be matched to a wizard, like finger prints to a person, each unique. A spell was being cast over the school to catch a copy of all magic used against it. These could then be matched to the person casting the spell, if their magic was on record. If not it would be added to the Order, Auror, and Hit Wizard files as unidentified. Every death eater captured would have a copy of his power taken if it matched the copies made at Hogwarts and elsewhere then they'd know what to punish the death eater for. At his instruction spells that would identify dementors and Mesmerd as well as death eaters were being placed on the grounds and throughout the forest. It was a massive project to get the defenses up, straining all the Order's resources especially their powers. Harry turned his broom back to the school, Sirius had asked him to try to find our more information through his visions and dreams, though he cringed at the thought.  
  
Harry flew through a window and landed in a small room with three chair and a table. A fire roared in the fireplace. Harry took the chair closest to the fire. Soon Arrabella Figg and a man he didn't know entered.  
  
"Hello Harry, this is Aram. According to Albus your visions work best when you look into a fire. Just look at it now and describe anything you see. We'll record it." Arrabella said, Harry nodded and turned to the fire. His vision filled with flames and the room grew very quiet.  
  
It was dark, spells flashed everywhere, thunder pounded and lightning shrieked through the air. Twin tornadoes suddenly spun up out of nothing, a voice counted to three and suddenly they were filled with flames. Lighting up the entire scene in orange and red. They burned dementors to nothingness while leaving Order members unharmed. Voldemort. He stood there in a circle of death eaters, black fire glowing, surrounding him. Mesmerd screamed as lightning hit them in far above lethal amounts, killing them instantly. Power filled the air, the earth shook and groaned. Everything began to speed up, scenes flashed before his eyes, just slow enough for him to grasp their meaning as if it had been implanted in his mind before they were swirled away. People lay dead and dying on the field in front of Hogwarts, thunder rumbled in the sky, images flew around and around, a fire burned in Harry's scar, he felt like the fire was creeping around him, burning him to a crisp. It felt like his skin was going to erupt into flames, Harry screamed reeled back from the fire. Thud! He rolled out of his chair and landed on the floor on his side. The pain slowly vanished, Harry lay there for a moment, shaking.  
  
"Harry? Are you okay? What happened?" Harry recognized Sirius's voice, he tried to talk, but the force of his scream had torn his throat and only thing that came out was a soft rasp, he began to cough, a little blood coming out from his mouth. He reached up and touched his neck lightly, concentrating hard on his torn throat. His finger tips glowed white for a minute, then faded.  
  
"Next time that happens, someone kick me. That hurt." He said hoarsely, he reached a hand up to Remus who pulled him to his feet. His legs shook and he had to grab the back of his chair to keep from falling. Besides Arabella and Aram, Sirius, Albus, Severus, Remus, and a woman he didn't know were in the room. They all conjured up chairs and sat down, Harry resumed his seat, avoiding looking at the fire.  
  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _  
  
"- we'll use the five-pronged attack, the rest can keep the Mesmerd off us until the battle has really started." Sirius finished giving out his instructions to the Patrol leaders. They all bowed and left the room, leaving only Albus, and Sertisa. As he turned to them a glowing figure appeared in one of the empty chairs. Miranda slowly solidified, but never lost a slight silvery glow.  
  
"The invasion of Azkaban Island is completed, five hundred dementors dead, ten taken captive. No casualties in the patrols, three injured. Everything went smoothly. We'll be leaving in one hour, we should reach Hogwarts by eight o'clock. I'm sending Ramoth on ahead. She should arrive in time for the battle." She reported, Sirius grimaced, the magical wall around Hogwarts extended for a one hundred miles, no human could fly in, or use any magical means of travel. Ramoth, being a phoenix, could get through if she didn't have a rider.  
  
"Thanks, she'll be a real help healing people, she is the most experienced healer we've got, have you found Zarglash?" he asked nervously, the albino Basilisk was a friend of his, but he was rather like a centaur in that you could never get a straight answer from him. However Zarglash wielded great power among the basilisks, being close to a thousand years old and the largest basilisk ever. And though the old serpent might be blind in one eye he was still a ferocious fighter, if given a reason to fight.  
  
"Yeah, he should arrive sometime after we do, you know he lives in Antarctica, and he has to avoid being spotted by muggles as he swims over, not an easy task. Well, I'll see you in three and a half hours, do try to save some death eaters, it would be a shame to come all that way and not get a part of the fight." Her image vanished. Sirius looked at the remaining three.  
  
Sirius, why are you putting all our lives in the hands of a boy who's never even seen a wizards duel before, never mind fought in one? Came Severus's voice from his post outside the door. Sirius scowled, anger rising, Severus was, once again, questioning Harry's ability. He's seen more duels in his dreams then most would in ten life times, secondly I trust him, thirdly he knows what Voldemort is going to do, even if he doesn't realize it he reacts to it, fourthly we need him to help us in this fight, fifthly he's been preparing for a battle like this since the Tri Wizard Tournament and sixthly he can sense what the enemy is going to do, he's got a quick mind and reflexes, and he's a brilliant tactician and strategist, he'll react to any problem or sudden shift in any plans before half of us have noticed a difference. Is that enough? If it's not chew on this, he's got a power stone of his own making. It isn't complete yet, but he can use it, and it's the only one in existence. He sensed Severus's astonishment, despite the fact it was quickly hidden. He may not be able to fight Voldemort with his wand, since their wands are brothers, but he can use his lightning and wandless magic against him. Severus was still slightly unconvinced. As soon as he is old enough he will join the Order, if it is still in session, at which point if I am not dead I'm considering putting him in charge, just watch him tonight, the kids got power and a good heart to go with it, he's our most valuable ally right now. Severus was shocked into silence, never before had a living Phoenix given the command to another while the Order was still in session, though it was possible.  
  
"Let's go see if Harry's got anything new." Sirius said, they all stood and left, just outside the door Remus and Severus had been keeping guard, they fell in behind Sirius as he led the way to a small conference room. Severus still looking angry. Sirius opened the door, Harry was sitting, staring into the fire, Arabella and Aram were both seated at a small table. Suddenly blood began to flow from Harry's scar, he let out a horrible scream of agony and slumped from his chair onto the floor, twitching slightly. Sirius ran forward and knelt beside him. "Harry?" The boy didn't seem to hear him. Sirius touched Harry's forehead and connected with his mind, Harry was in terrible pain, images were flashing everywhere, the swirl of color and sound and pain started to make Sirius feel sick. He pulled back his hand and shot a spell from his fingertips into Harry, driving away some of the pain, the rest would go away on its own. "Harry? Are you okay?" He asked again.  
  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _  
  
Harry sat still with his eyes closed for a moment, reviewing what he was going to tell them. Finally he got it all ready and began, his voice trembling.  
  
"Most of what I saw I already knew, but I did find out who's going to die." He waited for the startled gasps to stop then continued. All the deaths I saw were ones that could be avoided if those people didn't go into the battle." He stopped for a moment as horrid memories of decaying carcasses flew through his mind.  
  
"Alright, can you tell us who they are?" Sirius asked, he was worried, he'd never seen Harry so shaken, hopefully the boy would get his strength back in the forty-five minutes that remained.  
  
"Yeah, Severus, you must not go onto the ground, you can fight from the battlements, but if you go onto the field you'll be killed in the first attack. However it would be best to stay inside and not let anyone see you, so Voldemort won't think you've been spying on him." Prof. Snape nodded, apparently missing the fact that Harry had not addressed him formally, Harry almost never did that with Order members anymore. In the Order Harry was equal or better then almost everyone else, already some called him the Phoenix's right-hand-man. He was always around to help or give excellent advice on any problem. Harry continued, stopping occasionally to block out vivid images of the dead bodies. He could sense Sirius relaying this information to the correct people. Finally he was done, and twelve lives saved.  
  
"Well done Harry, now how about you rest until the battle, you look like you got attacked by the Whomping Willow." Harry was quiet sure he did look that way and felt worse, but he knew he couldn't rest.  
  
"No, I don't think I could rest at all." He said, reaching with his mind to make sure his thunderstorm was ready.  
  
"Alright, how about you check on the traps in the forest, then start working on the passages out of the castle. We need them so that the only people who can use them are Order members, and students, with permission." Harry nodded, he stood up, glad that he wasn't shaking anymore and gabbed his broom, he jumped out the window and flew off.  
  
The feeling of flying again quickly healed his strength and the gathering powers in the air from his storm refreshed him completely. Harry dipped down to the Order flyers as they worked over the forest. Harry spent most of the remaining time flying about, giving advice and encouragement. Checking his watch he landed, sad to be out of the air. And hurried inside to work on the passages.  
  
Students hurried out of his way, nodding to him respectfully, Harry cleared the hallways the secret passages led into of students and concentrated on the delicate fabric of the tricky enchantments he needed to weave into the buildings magic.  
  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _  
  
Harry, time to assemble the school and Order. Harry's eyes snapped open and he finished the last of his spells. Over the last ten minutes his storm had grown to frightening proportions, Harry took a deep breath, lightning crackled down through a window and hit him. Harry's form changed until he became one with the lightning, he then transferred into another bolt that hit the tower top he'd prepared for himself. It was a fancy form of teleportation through lightning. BOOM! The blast crackled through the air, instantly 5-7th years, staff, and Order began to assemble on the grounds. Another crash, seven groups of Order members appeared in a V shape facing the forest. In the foremost group were six he didn't know, Albus, Remus, Arabella, Sertisa, Aram, and Sirius. All of them were dressed for war, making a stunning sight in silver, red, gold, and black. Three Phoenixes swooped overhead and into the open hospital wing window. Harry winced mentally from his position high above, only 90 Order members were left in the building, the other 70 were on patrols.  
  
"Where's Harry?" Hermione whispered to Ron as they stood with the rest of the Prefects, the Gryffindor and Ravenclaw prefects were fighting from the battlement. Slytherin and Hufflepuff were guarding the younger students in the great hall.  
  
"Don't know, he should show up soon though. Maybe he's flying about, this storm is his work. Sirius turned to face the crowd.  
  
"In just a few minutes the enemy will be coming at us from the Forest, we should be alerted shortly before they do. The enemy consists of Death Eaters, Dementors, Mesmerd, and a few snakes, and Voldemort. The Broom Brigade should give us a good amount of aerial coverage from the Mesmerd." The Broom Brigade, only fifteen strong since many were out on patrols, flew overhead. "However they won't be enough." Sirius turned to look up at one of the tower tops as twin bolts of lightning zapped down and lit up a figure there, crackling with power, a cloak swirling about behind it. All heads tilted back and looked up.  
  
"Ron that's him!" Hermione gasped, grabbing Ron's arm, Ron gulped as the earth shook slightly. Raslith on Sirius's shoulder let out a cry, there was a resounding roar of thunder and the figure vanished. A bolt of lightning hit the ground beside Sirius, slowly it dissipated, leaving a hooded figure standing there in black robes of a cloth none of them could identify, the black cloak had strange runes in gold around the edges, a sword hung by its side in a gold and black sheath. "Harry will be giving us additional aid through his lightning, he's also got a little surprise in store for the dementors." Sirius nodded to Harry, Harry, standing between Sirius and Albus, facing Sirius sideways reached up and lowered his hood rather unwillingly. When he turned fully to the crowd there were gasps, his eyes blazed with gold fire and his scar glowed. Harry looked about, seeing everything with a slight gold tinge, he had so much power flowing through him it was showing visibly. He didn't pay any attention as Sirius continued with his speech. Harry sent out his mind through the storm, the enemy was coming, slowly, the traps were working.  
  
"Sirius." Harry said, Sirius stopped and looked at him. The crowd went deathly silent. "They're here." Murmurs ran through the crowd.  
  
"Go back to your post then, you can do more good where you can clearly see your targets, feel free to come down later and help out with the ground battle." He added, knowing Harry would only follow his orders without argument if he had a reason to. Harry bowed his head slightly, another blast of lightning and he was gone, back to the tower top.  
  
With war cries a score of death eaters broke from the forest, followed by three Mesmerd. Harry hurled lightning, taking out two of the Mesmerd, the Broom brigade getting the other after a fierce battle.  
  
Spells flew and lightning flared as the two armies met in the field. Screams cries and shouts echoed around, soon the ground was burned and the grass and shrubs had been ripped off by powerful spells. Harry sent out an advanced patronus, killing 80 of the dementors. The others spread out so it was harder for him to get them. The death eaters came running in, Mesmerd swooped down. For three hours the battle raged, neither side giving quarter or mercy, or asking it.  
  
"Harry's still going strong, look at him." Ron said to Hermione as they met near a wall for a quick breather. Harry was still on the tower, blazing with lightning.  
  
"Yeah, wonder how long he can keep it up." Hermione said before jumping into battle with a Mesmerd. They were on the battlements, which had been packed with student fighters, now only the best remained. "OW! She reeled away, her hat burned. Ron's stunning spell was deflected off the Mesmerd's shield.  
  
"Damn, yikes duck!" They both ducked down behind a gargoyle as the Mesmerd sent a wave of its overpowering fear/weapon at them in the form of a hazy mist. Lightning shot down and electrocuted the Mesmerd into a hunk of stinking charred bone and fur.  
  
"Thanks Harry!" Ron called out, though he doubted Harry, on the other side of the front door and two stories up, could hear him.  
  
Sirius I'm coming down. Harry sent to Sirius before teleporting into the bloody battle below him. He and Sirius went back to back, most of the order had drawn their swords and wands. Using both to defend themselves.  
  
Not sleeping for two days and nights, and those visions has cost you a lot hasn't it? Sirius asked Harry, he could sense his godson's weariness. Yes, Voldemort is sending that cage of black magic at us. Harry replied, Sirius and he ducked into the cage and faced eachother as the walls closed around them. They crossed their swords and wands, silently they joined their power, Sirius taking command since he knew the counter spell. Sirius was amazed, even when this tired Harry had an incredible store of power and a strong will. He drew on their combined power and blasted away the cage. He could see Voldemort as the cage vanished, standing at a safe distance from the fight, enraged.  
  
Another two hours had passed, it was one a.m. almost all the students but Harry had left the fight, now they were roaming the corridors of Hogwarts, exhausted, whenever they came ot a window they would shoot out spells, but they were so tired that it did little good. Almost all the Mesmerd and the snakes were gone, dead, and there were only about six hundred dementors left, and about forty death eaters. Thirty two Order agents were out of the fight, some would be back soon though. The fight was noticeably slowing down.  
  
Around three a.m. Harry called up his tornadoes of fire again, they were obviously smaller and less powerful then the ones he'd used at the beginning of the battle, but they whirled about wreaking massive destruction, lighting up the battle field with their red/orange flickering glow. The patrol arrived shortly after, adding their strength to the Order. The tide of the battle was now sharply against Voldemort and his forces.  
  
At five a.m. Sirius began to sense increasing nervousness from Harry, worried he tried to make contact, but Harry ignored him, he tried to fight his way over to him. Well over a hundred more death eaters appeared near Voldemort, Sirius tried to send out a warning to Harry, no response. Then he noticed a large group of students, isolated in a crowd of death eaters. Realization struck him. They were going to leave with the students as hostages. Harry had fought his way to the students, a burst of lightning crackled down and teleported the students to a safe distance. All heads turned towards Harry as a blasts of power made a resounding boom. The scene lit up as the thunderclouds took on a dark golden sheen, the earth shook and heaved, rolling in waves, throwing only the death eaters to the ground. Rain pounded down, turning into spears of ice on the way down, driving themselves into Voldemorts' creatures. The fighting mostly stopped as Harry and Voldemort fenced in a circle of death eaters. Clash! Harry did a flip and whirled, foot lashing out, Voldemort ducked, Harry sword slashed down, slicing along Voldemort's arm, the other turned his wand to a jeweled dagger and stabbed, missing Harry by inches, Harry assumed a fighting stance and stood still, then went into motion, blade moving to fast to follow. The light from the clouds, lightning and tornadoes flashed brilliantly off the sword, blinding Voldemort temporally and making it look like Harry was wielding light in a cage of liquid light. Sirius speared a death eater as he watched, Harry had never told him about this, Harry was a Lightdancer! Harry took out Voldemort's left eye and slashed him up until the other was a mass of blood. Harry himself only had a few cuts and a stab from Voldemort's knife. Harry turned and took the heads off three dementors with one swipe, then he faced Voldemort and raised his arms.  
  
"No!" Sirius screamed, the last of Harry's power smashed down in the form of a gigantic lightning bolt. The scene erupted into golden flames, every death eater and dementor present collapsed, unconscious or dead. The grass was scorched off the ground and the lake water boiled with electricity, lightning turned Hogwarts into a glowing ball of crackling light, a crater covered the area where the battle had been fought nearly fifty feet down, standing in solid rock was Harry, unharmed, but gasping for breath and kneeling on the ground, exhausted, a figure behind him struggled to it's knees, covered in muddy blood, slowly its hand moved. Harry whirled, Voldemort's spell shot towards the crowd on the crater edge, Harry jumped into its path with a shout. In a burst of black fire Harry and Voldemort vanished.  
  
There was a long quiet, no one moved, the clouds cleared, the tornadoes dissipated, the rain stopped, the earth stood still and the glow around the castle faded, and went out. Slowly weapons were lowered and wands vanished, as one the Order turned towards the castle they had defended, and a golden sun rose over the horizon, turning the bloody battle field a glistening red.  
  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _  
  
PART TWO  
  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _  
  
The great hall was filled with people, packed in tightly, most of them sobbing. The Gryffindors were on the edge of hysteria, even the Slytherins were having trouble keeping back their tears. Order of the Phoenix agents sat at the extra tables or sat in chairs along the walls, wiping their streaming eyes. At the staff table Dumbledore stood to speak. The pale morning sun rose up higher and came streaming through the windows, a pale rainbow arched over last nights battle field.  
  
"Our battle is over, Hogwarts is safe. Those who were injured are being healed by the best healers in the world and should rejoin us shortly. Students you have reacted to this emergency perfectly, thank you. And now I ask you to be still in a moment of silence for those we have lost." There was a long pause, broken by sniffles and sobs. Everyone knew that there had been not a single death besides Harry's.  
  
"Thank you, now, there will be no classes tomorrow, and probably none the next day. We have won our battle, at a heavy price, a wizard we could not afford to lose gave his life to end the battle and save many lives. I am speaking of Harry Potter, my his soul rest in peace." At this moment a snowy owl flew in a dropped a parchment on the staff table. It unrolled and began to glow, then a voice issued from it.  
  
"In the event you are receiving this message from my owl it means events have turned out as I hoped they would not. Voldemort's second force of death eaters arrived and attempted to take several students hostage. I used a special spell of my own creation to end the battle. This spell killed all dementors on the battle field, and knocked the death eaters unconscious. Then Voldemort, severely injured and attempting to flee took me with him." It paused for a moment as the hall sat in astonished silence.  
  
"Order of the Phoenix please don't miss this perfect opportunity. My spell has knocked every single death eater on the planet out cold for five hours, it would be wise to attempt to capture as many as possible, they will glow faintly to you. Secondly please don't attempt to rescue me, it would only end in your deaths. Beyond this point I have no idea what will happen, but I cannot sense my death in the near future so I'm being optimistic and assuming I will survive. The students I saved will probably be felling very torn up, if they are not hearing this message tell them I know that they would have done the same for me, give my regard to the students who defended the school from the battlements. I will try to contact you whenever I get the chance." Harry's wand, knife, and sword appeared from nowhere, glowing brightly, and settled onto the table. "Please keep these safe for me, Voldemort must not get his hands on them, with their power fighting him would be next to useless, Good Luck." The students he had saved had been sitting in a little group sobbing hysterically, now they stared at the parchment, which quickly disintegrated, in awe and shock.  
  
The silence that filled the hall shattered abruptly and screams and cheers echoed around the room.  
  
Severus when Voldemort calls you be watchful of weakness in him, and please keep an eye out for Harry. Sirius sent to Severus as he held up a hand for silence, trying to calm the students. However he quickly saw it was a futile effort and sat down again, shrugging at Dumbledore who threw up his hands in despair of ever regaining order and left the hall.  
  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _  
  
Harry woke in unfamiliar surroundings, he was lying, tightly bound, on a cold stone floor. And he was in pain, and he was more tired then he'd ever been in his life. He heard voices talking and opened one eye just enough to see.  
  
Voldemort, looking incredibly exhausted and weak, was sitting on a throne, about a score of death eaters stood around him. His missing eye was covered with a patch, his robes were filthy with dried blood. His wounds had been healed, but horrid scars could be seen through his tattered robes. The death eaters near him were probably the only ones who had gone unnoticed by determined Order searchers. Suddenly someone kicked him hard in the ribs and sent him rolling into the center of the room.  
  
"He is awakening my lord." Said a voice off to his right. Giving up pretending to be asleep Harry rolled to a sitting position indian style and glared at Voldemort.  
  
"So, the famous Harry Potter, once more stolen from apparent safety. They do not do a good job of guarding you." He said, but Harry noticed a gasping weakness in his voice, and Nagini was absent from his side, Harry had personally beheaded eight of her kind but not her so he assumed she might just possibly be alive.  
  
"Brave, gallant Harry Potter, helpless and defenseless, who ever would have thought? You made a mistake you know, you should let me guide you from now on. You could be powerful you know, my second maybe. What do you say to that?" Harry merely glared into Voldemort's red eyes. Voldemort nodded at a death eater behind Harry.  
  
"Crucio!" Harry closed his eyes briefly until he got control. Then he continued glaring at Voldemort, the pain blocked out of his inner mind. Voldemort raised his wand,  
  
"When I ask a question you answer. Crucio!" Harry took a deep breath and brought up his walls of iron pain control, they weren't going to get to him this way. He shivered as agony rolled through him, and gritted his teeth.  
  
"You know Harry, many of us here have personal grudges against you, how about I let them torture you for a bit, maybe it'll get some obedience out of you Harry. I like my followers obedient, and you will soon be one of them."  
  
Harry focused on control while two more death eaters held him under the Cruciatus Curse for half an hour. Then another stepped forward, harry fought off the two cruciatus curses, shaking slightly from pain, he rolled his flicking sweat dampened hair form his eyes and twisted his head up, forcing himself to stop shaking. Fear only made them torture you more. Harry glared up at him, at the mask. The figure shifted, uneasily, then very slowly raised its wand, and Harry, glaring, saw through the mask, it was as if the transparent mask had suddenly become slightly see-through, though he knew it was only one way. His gaze rolled around to another death eater coming forwards, but this one just knelt beside his master's throne and began to whisper a report. Harry shuddered as one of the two torturing him flicked his wand about to increase pain and he looked back up, concentrating hard on what he could see of the features...it was Prof. Snape. Clearly Severus had no intention of hurting Harry, they were on the same side and Harry had save his life. Harry tried, but couldn't find the power to send him a message to do so, *damn you, you're our best spy, go on, they expect you to do this, Voldemort will know you're a fake if you don't.* But it wasn't strong enough, Harry locked eyes with Severus and gave a slight inclination of his head, the other death eaters were behind Severus and couldn't see.  
  
"Crucio." Harry almost relaxed in relief, Severus hadn't blown his cover, he'd gotten the message.  
  
For hours this continued, Voldemort growing slowly angrier at no response from Harry.  
  
"Take him down to the torture chamber, keep at least two Cruciatus Curses on him at all times, he'll tell us all he knows if I have to rip the information out of him!" he finally roared, and Harry was dragged off, still glaring angrily.  
  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _  
  
"They just dragged him off, not many people are allowed down there, I doubt he'll come out alive much less sane. No one ever has." A highly distressed Severus Snape said, finishing his report on the events of the latest death eaters meeting. Once again Harry had defied Voldemort, going so far as to break the dark lord's wrist as soon as he got an arm free. How that had happened was anyone's guess, the chains had been rusty and broken…but not that rusty.  
  
"He's been with them for a week, we have to do something, Harry can't hold out forever." Arabella said sadly.  
  
"Harry hasn't been telling us everything about his powers, he may well be able to. For instance he didn't tell me until your trial Sirius, that he was immune to most poisons and Vertisaserum. But I agree, we must get him out of there." Albus agreed. Sirius sighed, he didn't want Harry to stay a prisoner either.  
  
"He told us not to, I believe he had a reason for that, we'll wait. Anything else new?"  
  
"Yes, Voldemort has other prisoners, for his new recruits to battle and kill. Mind you the recruit always wins. He wants Harry to practice with them, but Harry just held out his wand backwards so it hit the dementor behind him. He's put five other death eaters on the injured and/or maimed list. And he hasn't said a word, not one of the best torturers there are can get so much as a peep out of him. He just glares; he drove one guy insane with those eyes of his. He scares me, just glares; even Voldemort can't meet his eyes for very long, it sends shivers up your spine. Caused one man to pass out and another to start screaming and trying to kill everyone until someone managed to get him out of Harry's sight." Severus look scared, in his mind he saw once again those vivid emerald green eyes, with gold sparks flickering in them, burning with power, filled with rage. And Voldemort averting his gaze, visibly shaken. You could feel the power pouring from those eyes and the hate.  
  
"You have to give it to him, no one else has ever managed half that well against Voldemort. I wish I had a tenth of his power and courage. His powers must have some how been converted into Eye Power during the fight, that's the reason why he's able to do that." Aram said, respect for Harry was at an all time high lately. Suddenly Sirius turned and looked out the window, a snake had climbed a rainspout and now entered the room.  
  
Hello, why are you here little one? Sirius hissed at it, the snake slithered up onto the table and wrapped itself around its arm.  
  
Harry ssssent me. He sayssss to tell you that Voldemort planssss to attack Diagon Alley in two dayssss. Ssseverus wasn't told becaussse he isn't among Voldemort'ssss inner circle. The dark sssspeaker will attack with five death eatrssss, eight dementorsss and Nagini. He will continue to ssend messagess through my kind whenever possible. Sirius thanked the snake, gave it some food and sent it off.  
  
"Well, Harry's still bothering himself to help us. I hope Voldemort doesn't find out about this, Severus be careful, Voldemort doesn't trust you very much."  
  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _  
  
Harry woke from the dream, so his messenger had gotten to Sirius, good. He looked around, in the cells around him were twenty other prisoners. He moved, his leg had fallen asleep. Pain, he was, as always, filled with never ending pain. He looked down to one hand, all five fingers were broken and a hole had been burned through the palm with a red hot poker. He stood, it wouldn't do if that injury got infected, and walked to the pail of water. He ripped off a small shred of his robe sleeve and dipped it, he then used it to clean the wound. As he moved the scabbing lash marks across his back and chest broke and began to bleed again. Pain from his shattered left elbow flashed up his arm and his head ache returned, he probably had a concussion, and the never-ending Cruciatus Curses were a constant torment.  
  
"Who are you?" The voice startled Harry, all the prisoners were at the side of their cages closest to him and were watching him warily.  
  
"My name is Harry… Potter. These death eaters sure aren't very civilized are they?" he asked, hoping to strike up a conversation.  
  
"H-H-Harry Potter. Yes, I remember, it was in the papers that you'd sacrificed yourself for a bunch of students at the battle of Hogwarts." Someone whispered, Harry nodded, everyone went quiet as dementors approached, they came to the cage doors and stood there, glaring at the captives, who curled up into balls on the floor, shivering and covering their ears as if to cut out the depressing reek and the cold and the horrible depression. Harry stood and walked to his cage door, the screaming and shouting in his head starting and white fog gathering around the edge of his vision. Ever since the battle his powers had been weak, something was wrong with them, thought Harry hadn't a clue what, it was like he'd forgotten something about himself. Power he had to use, but had forgotten how, he was sure that once he figured it out he'd be fine. He extended his hand and summoned all his strength into a Patronus. It was small, but it glowed brightly, Harry watched as it chased the dementors away, noting that it was no longer the same stag, it had antlers of lightning. He sighed and sat down, examining his chains for the hundredth time.  
  
"I wish they would just kill us, I just want to die." Harry looked up at the hoarse whisper.  
  
"I agree, I might just strangle myself with these chains if I was strong enough." Another person murmured. Harry glared about.  
  
"What is that all about? Have you completely lost your minds. What's this about giving up, suicide? Of course we'll get out of here, we just haven't found the way." All of them were staring at him again.  
  
"You must be crazy, it is impossible to escape." The person on his left growled.  
  
"It is possible, I just don't know how. How long have you lot been here? I've been in a different cell complex, on my own, for the past two weeks. Do you know exactly what time the dementors come?" Harry asked, his old cell had been much more difficult to escape from than this one. He'd been shackled ot a steel wall with small spikes sticking into his back for almost two weeks.  
  
"No, we never paid attention, can we really escape Harry?" The person next to him asked, harry nodded, he already had a plan forming.  
  
"Yes, we'll all be out of here in less then two days, I promise." He knew he could keep that promise, and he would. The prisoners settled down for the night, as he drifted off Harry listened to murmured conversations.  
  
"I never thought, I always imagined Harry Potter as a lot older, and more grand. He's just a kid."  
  
"Yeah, but a strong one, did you see the way he just cleaned that hand, without even a flinch of pain."  
  
Harry waited until everything was quiet before standing and going to the window a million plans and thoughts swirling around in his mind. He had to get himself and a score of prisoners out of the Voldemort's castle, what a challenge! Suddenly a squeal woke them all, the other prisoners exchanged looks and went back to sleep.  
  
"What was that?" Harry asked, "no human could make a sound like that."  
  
"You didn't know? The dark lord's been collecting Order animals, and torturing them to death. Yesterday he got a mother Fire Lion and two cubs. The mother and one of the cubs are dead, they're killing the last one just now. Harry scowled, this wasn't good. He looked down at his chains, maybe they weren't cursed? He carefully called upon what lightning he could still summon. The lightning froze as it landed beside him. Harry picked it up, it was in the form of a lock pick. He picked the locks on his chains and his cell door, looking about for any guards he ran along the corridor towards the sounds.  
  
"Who goes there?" Harry flattened himself in the shadows, sneaking up behind the guard he slammed a large rock into the side of the man's head.  
  
Rounding a corner Harry ducked under a low doorway and into a dimly lit room. The tiny fire flickered madly, Harry ducked into the shadows and went around behind the death eaters. He surveyed the situation, this was going to be easy.  
  
The little Fire Lion screamed as the Cruciatus Curse was applied, Harry looking around, saw the dead body of its litter mate laying on a windowsill above its dead mother. It was hanging half out the window, it would be easy to believe it fell and some wild animal ate it. As the death eater turned away to heat a poker Harry grabbed the kitten, muffling its startled squeak, and placed its already dead litter mate in its place. He ducked back out of the room and ran back to his cell. There were too many death eaters in the castle right now to attempt escape. Since the death eater he'd hit was still out cold Harry arranged him in front of the entrance to the cells. Whoever found him wouldn't know which prisoner had flung the rock.  
  
Harry put his chains back on and lay down, releasing the kitten. It mewed a small "thank you" and took the piece of food Harry offered it, left over from his dinner, it curled up into a small ball of fur in the shadows, well hidden, and went to sleep.  
  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _  
  
Harry was leaning against his cell wall near the window when they came. He knocked the death eater who opened his cell out cold and broke another's right leg before they managed to drag him off. Two stunning spells managed to get him under control. Before they got him out of the room however he signaled the kitten to stay hidden, he'd established a type of communication with the little animal, training it to obey his commands for its own safety. Entering Voldemort's throne room another problem stopped them as Harry partially broke through the spells, Harry hooked his chains around a Gargoyle and held on tight. He couldn't move his legs very well. They had to stun him again to get him off. Harry broke through the stunning spell and punched a death eater on his right in the face, feeling great satisfaction as the other's nose broke. A blow to the head toppled him, he landed rolling and kicked out the man's legs from under him. Tumbling the masked man to the ground Harry proceeded to pound his face into the floor, deflecting the stunning spells shot at him, until ropes wound around him and dragged him off. The man was screaming, his nose and jaw broken, most of his teeth knocked out, his face a mass of blood. Slowly order regained and silence fell.  
  
"So Harry, it has been three weeks. You have had time to consider my offer, now I want an answer. You will join me." Harry twisted his wrist painfully and grabbed a rock beside him, he threw it at Voldemort, it struck Voldemort in the face, leaving him with a split lip. Voldemort wiped the blood off and glared at Harry, who glared back twice as viciously, Voldemort averted his eyes slightly as Harry put all the anger and power he could into that stare, maybe he could kill Voldemort with a strong enough glare.  
  
"This conversation is being shown at Hogwarts and the Ministry of magic Harry. Do be more polite and say yes. You know it will help you, you'll have anything you want, you will be my second, a feared and respected dark lord. My helper, ruler of the death eaters, when the world is mine you shall be second only to me, with the entire human population to do your bidding. Immortal, forever a king, all the armies will follow you, you'll have your own lands, palace, a kingdom, I do not offer this chance to many, I do not respect any enough to have them be my second, a great honor Harry." Harry, feeling more then a little ill, straightened up on his knees and spat in Voldemort's face.  
  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _  
  
Back in the cells lightning crackled down and melted to cell bars away, a rope of lightning appeared in a window, one by one the prisoners slid down. Harry's directions had been perfectly clear, go to the hill top near the rock, you'll be teleported to safety from there. They had asked ot be teleported ot Hogwarts, since the Order of the Phoenix was there, Harry had agreed. After a quick head count they started off towards the large boulder on a grassy hill top about a mile off. Behind them a little Fire Lion sat down in the shadows and watched them leave, wondering where Harry was.  
  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _  
  
"Something is wrong with Harry, with his powers. I can sense it when I try to reach him, a throbbing power trying to be free. It could be that he is an magical animagus." Sirius said. The order was in the great hall with Hermione and Ron. Discussing Sirius's most recent failed attempt to get to Harry mentally.  
  
"Why should it matter if he's an animagus?" Ron asked curiously.  
  
"A magical animagus Ron, legendary, there's only been a few, Sirius and James, Merlin, and Gryffindor, Ambrosius and Emrys, you probably haven't heard of them much, twins about three thousand years back, named after Merlin, they saved the world with their lives, no one knows how. What animals would Harry be I wonder?" Albus asked no one.  
  
"There is a book of all the magical creatures, Harry would have to be one of them." Mundungus said.  
  
"There was a creature, named by the aurors the Guardian of Heaven and Hell, Spirit of good, Destroyer of evil. The creature of light, the star, a spark of hope in a black sky. There were only six at any given time. Rather like Phoenixes, one would die and a new, baby, not the one before, a different one, would come from the last spark of the other's life fire. No one knows what it looked like, they were killed by a joint union of fifteen darklords, together about five times as powerful as Voldemort. There was a picture in that book, but the darklords burned it, not even a trace of that page is left. They destroyed all evidence of the creature's existence, except that which was held by the Order of the Phoenix. Their name has been long forgotten." Miranda said, giving all the information anyone knew on the animal.  
  
"We'll need to restore the book, Harry needs to know what he is, if he is one, he can use it to escape." Sirius said, summoning the book.  
  
A large book, its cover burned off, appeared before Sirius who flipped to a space between pages 34211 and 34214. "Here, Order, we'll combine our powers, together we may be able to overcome the spell upon this book."  
  
"Ron, Ira, Hermione, you'd best stay back or you might get caught in the weave of the spell, it would drain all your power and leave you a muggle." Dumbledore warned them as the Order got ready.  
  
"Yes, stand back a ways, I'll begin the link." Miranda said, resting her fingertips on the table which suddenly had a circle of gold imbedded in it.  
  
Ron, Ira and Hermione backed away. The table glowed and solidified into a circle, golden runes around the edges glowed. Each member touched their fingertips to the table. Sirius rested one hand on the table, one on the book, he closed his eyes and began to glow brightly, slowly he began to speak. The words of a language Ron and Hermione had never heard before rolled off his tongue. As he spoke the book glowed golden.  
  
"Wow, do you think it'll work?" Ron whispered excitedly.  
  
"Maybe, this is the largest Order ever called up, and they're really powerful, maybe it will." She whispered back, crossing her fingers, Harry's life might depend on this.  
  
"For Harry's sake I hope it works, if it doesn't…" Ira didn't finish her thought.  
  
"Don't even think that." Hermione whispered, the book glowed so bright they had to cover their eyes. Finally it dimmed, the two walked forward.  
  
There on the table lay the book, the exhausted order stirred and everyone looked. The page was back, still burned in places, yet a picture remained.  
  
Elegantly drawn to perfection. The creature, about the size of a dragon, stood on the page. A wolf's head, vicious teeth showing in a snarl, its tongue was red with a darker design on it like a snake's tongue, split. Muscles bulged along its sleek form and on its slightly serpent like neck, its front legs ended in huge claws while the back ended in clawed paws. Gigantic wings came from the shoulders, instead of a horse's mane it had a ridge along the top of its head and down its neck, it looked like each point was a flame, but they didn't flicker or shift. It had a horse's body, mixed with wolf and dragon, the eyes closely resembled a phoenixes, ringed with flames. A mane like a lions and a scale pattern on the spikes/feathers on the back of its legs. A long tail like a mix of wolf and horse, made from flames just barely touched the ground. The entire creature was different shades of gold, with silver claws and teeth and white wings with gold edges and black wingtips, the ridge was a sparkling black like the nose. The only really dragonish part was the spikes/ridge around the head where it joined the neck, rather like a triceratops neck armor. In the manner of wizard pictures it moved about, taking flight and rearing, tilting its head back in a howl.  
  
"That's Harry's animagus form?" Arrabella whispered, staring at the magnificent beast in awe.  
  
"Yep, that's him, what's it called?" Miranda asked, eager for the once lost knowledge. But before Sirius could answer the fire in the hearth turned black, then a pale, unnatural orange, they all wheeled around and stared at the events unfolding in a dark cold castle hundreds of miles away.  
  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _  
  
Voldemort was angry, that was plain to see, Harry had been defying him for nearly an hour. Harry, deciding it was time, activated his spells, melting the cells bars and making a rope of harmless lightning to let them out. To his astonishment he found he could barely manage the spells. Whatever was wrong with his powers might ruin the entire escape attempt. Blocking out the three Cruciatus Curses Harry concentrated, some power, violent yet peaceful, lying dormant in the back of his mind for so long, was trying to break free. Desperate to maintain control over his powers Harry clamped down on it. It fought like a live animal, and Harry knew letting it loose would help him, but he decided to save the surprise, for his own good, he wasn't sure if he could regain control after freeing this power, he had to wait until the other prisoners were far away before destroying the castle. With me in it he thought as he broke a rope and attacked Voldemort.  
  
Harry was finally tied again, one death eater lay on the floor, unconscious, another nursed a broken wrist while two sobbed over snapped wands and one lay moaning on the floor, a leg and ankle broken. Another was being carried out, his rib cage almost completely crushed from a kick. There were three black eyes, a broken jaw, Nagini's mate was dead, and so were eight dementors. Harry surveyed his work, he had deflected almost all spells shot at him as long as he could before giving up. He was bruised, burned, gashed and bleeding from various spells shot during the fight, but he'd accomplished his goal.  
  
"Take him back to his cell for a while, we have other things to deal with." Voldemort hissed, Harry let them drag him off, thankfully they put him in a different cell complex then he'd been in earlier. No one would know the prisoners were free until to late.  
  
Harry called up some lightning to melt away the cell bars and unlock his chains. The lightning was weak and slow, it took him thrice the usual amount of time to accomplish the task. He stood and hurried down the hall. On his way he passed his old cell, the prisoners were gone, all the death eaters were at the meeting, he stopped to scoop up the kitten before ducking into the shadows, he peered around the half-open door and looked into the throne room  
  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _  
  
Severus Snape stood silent in the death eater ranks as Harry knelt, glaring at Voldemort, his gaze angry enough to melt stone. He'd been on the opposite side of the room from the fight, and thanked his lucky stars for it. Harry was like a mad man, only mad men didn't fight so smoothly or coolly, or with that calculating anger that enabled him to break all a mans ribs with a single kick. Harry just glared, when Voldemort had attempted to make him recite the oath of loyalty all death eaters took before having the mark burned into him Harry had changed the point line I live solely to serve only my Lord, the Dark King, until my death and beyond. To Harry's version of it, I live solely to serve only the Light and Peace, to my death and beyond my loyalty shall not waver. What ever is required of me I shall remain, in the Light forever. Voldemort had been, well, furious didn't even begin to describe it. And Severus was sure Harry had meant everything he'd said, not even death would change Harry from the path he had chosen. Voldemort's rage had been almost comical, matched by Harry's smile of triumph as he had turned the Cruciatus curses and the Imperius Curse around on Voldemort, smiling grimly while the dark lord screamed and writhed under pain Harry could endure for weeks. Once that was over Voldemort's anger had been beyond belief, but despite this he still couldn't meet the power in Harry's emerald eyes. In fact, Severus thought to himself, Harry might well succeed in driving Voldemort to suicide with his eye power. Voldemort had tried everything, not matter what Harry still glared, and Voldemort quailed visibly every time he accidentally met Harry's eyes. Severus had almost laughed when Harry spat in the dark lord's face, a strong respect for Harry was forming in his mind, he'd never hear the end of it if the other Hogwart's staff found out. The continuos battle between the Potions master and Harry Potter was a source of great amusement for many. As Harry was the only student ever to openly defy Snape and spit insults and rude comments back at him, the boy had a lash for a tongue. Now he grew worried, why had Voldemort stopped with Harry? What was he up to?  
  
"Now, we have many a loyal death eater in these ranks. And we have some that are not so loyal." Voldemort began, there was nervous shifting, Snape gulped, did Voldemort know about his spying???  
  
"I do not like disloyalty, and I suppose I must do more to discourage it. So I will make of an example of one of you." Severus's throat went dry, he knew. "A death eater who has been with us for many years, unknown to us friends, he is a spy. Giving away our plans to the enemy." Voldemort paused for the angry murmurs to subside. Severus's eyes bulged, he knew, he suppressed a shiver, maybe it was someone else. Voldemort cast a glance around, meeting Severus's eyes briefly, he knew.  
  
"I will make an example of this traitor for the world to see. Bring him forward!" The four death eaters around Severus Snape grabbed him and dragged him forward.  
  
"Death to all who dare spy on me! You will die screaming for mercy, and get none!" Voldemort rose and pointed his wand at Severus, who struggled madly. "Crucio, crucio, crucio!!!" Severus screamed in agony, falling to the floor and rolling around.  
  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _  
  
Harry winced as Voldemort preformed the spells, he had to save Severus, but how? Finally he decided on a plan, it was risky, he didn't know if he had the power, but it might just work.  
  
"Accio Severus Snape," Harry grimaced, normally he didn't even need to say the words. Snape jerked and can flying over, Harry took the spells off.  
  
"Come on, this way!" He dragged Severus to his feet and they ran down the passage.  
  
"Harry? How? What happened?" Severus choked out, his throat raw from screaming.  
  
"KILL THEM!!!!!" Voldemort's roar echoed behind them. Green blasts of light banged off the walls as death eaters perused them, Voldemort in the lead. Suddenly a wall appeared in front of them, slowly it grew until the magical wall blocked the passage. They were trapped. The spell solidified into stone, the window on the other side impossible to reach.  
  
"Avada Kedavra!" Voldemort yelled, pointing his wand at Snape. Harry jumped in the way, knocking his teacher to the ground. The curse went just over their heads. Harry extended a hand, lightning blasted the fake wall out of the way.  
  
"Avada Kedavra!" The death eaters seemed to mostly be trying for Snape, Harry stepped in front of the curse and blocked it, arms crossed in front of him. An icy cold feeling washed over him, followed by unimaginable pain. Harry jerked about, the power was trying to free itself, but he couldn't let it, not yet.  
  
"GO! Out the window, get to the hilltop…spell, teleport you to Hogwarts…I'll deal with…them!" Harry gasped out, pushing Snape towards the window. His kitten jumped onto his shoulder, leaving his arms free, it dug in its claws and held on.  
  
"What about you?" Harry ground his teeth, Voldemort raised his wand again.  
  
"Avada Kedavra!" A score of death eaters yelled in unison with their lord, as one the spells joined and the gigantic jet of green light blasted towards Snape. Someone grabbed him, the Fire Lion breathed its fire on his hand and the death eater reeled back. Harry jumped in front of Snape and blocked the curse, crossing his arms over his face. Light flared, silence, no more pain, freedom, power. The prisoners were teleported to Hogwarts, appearing on the grounds in a slash of lightning. Snape was teleported to the hill top. He rolled as he landed and stood, looking towards the castle. The earth shook, soon the entire castle was a blazing, blindingly bright beacon of light. The thousands of watching people gasped in awe, a sound, a scream and a roar and a song in one penetrated the silence. A sound that hadn't been heard in the world for well over two million years. The castle exploded in white light, from the light rose an immense creature, glowing gold, silver, white, and black.  
  
Harry, realizing he'd transformed into some type of animal, and took wing, lightning crackling down and hitting his wings, causing no harm. He rejoiced in his new freedom, power coursing through his veins. He dipped and flew, blasting the destroyed castle and at the fleeing creatures with fiery breath, finally he remembered Severus and went to him. The other ducked as he landed, and stayed well away. Harry scooped him up in one front talon, Harry roared to the night sky, a blast of lightning, and they were gone, leaving only a scorched hilltop, and a melted blob of magma where the boulder had been.  
  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _  
  
"There!" Ron pointed, lightning zapped down, when it was gone twenty people in ragged, torn robes stood there looking around.  
  
"The other prisoners! Harry freed them!" Albus gasped, they had all watched the scene in Voldemort's throne room, as had millions of other wizards, the scene had appeared in the fireplace, vanishing shortly after Harry saved Snape and they ran off down the corridor.  
  
"Where's Harry? And Severus?" Arrabella asked, no one could answer. Suddenly Sirius's head jerked up, his mouth worked, no words forming.  
  
"He's transformed! Harry did it!" He whispered to the order, almost the entire school was gathered outside, already Order healers were getting the freed prisoners and taking them into the castle. Another bolt of lightning shot down, three times as large as the last, when it was gone Harry was there, rearing high above them, wings arching up high, glowing brightly. Inside a cup made of Harry's front talons was Severus, Harry tilted his claws and he rolled off and landed with a thump in the grass.  
  
"That, ladies and gentlemen is the last Royal Aaron." Sirius said with pride, the creature arched its wings still higher and turned its wolfish head, it lowered its head until its chin was on the ground, almost on eye level with them. It studied them for a moment, then it stood again and tilted its head back, a deafening roar pierced the air, lightning zapped around it as it screamed to the sky, black and dark gray with thunderclouds. Then it stopped, and began to change, and shrink, until Harry Emrys James Gryffindor Ambrosius Potter, heir of Merlin, the last Royal Aaron. The Thunder King, stood there, Harry's legs crumpled as he fell, exhausted physically, mentally, and magically, his wounds tore and began to bleed, golden blood flowed heavily from his scar. A small Fire Lion landed on the ground, shaken after its wild ride, and nuzzled him, crying piteously for him to wake.  
  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _  
  
"Well? Will he live?" Ron asked anxiously, Miranda ignored him, concentrating on applying a bandage and a strong healing spell to a gash on the back of Harry's neck. Ron hadn't really expected an answer, he'd been asking once a minute for the past half hour. Hermione was in Gryffindor tower with the students, explaining what had just happened. Harry, he lay there, pale as death, literally covered in his own dried, and fresh, blood, barely breathing.  
  
"His injuries are horrendous, I don't understand, no one in this condition should be able to roll over, never mind walk and fight. I just don't know, he's lost half his blood." Miranda said, tying the bandage around his neck securely.  
  
"What are his injuries, he just looks like a mass of blood." Remus asked, he was sitting beside Harry, wringing his hands worriedly.  
  
"A knife wound on the back of his neck, a bleeding scar, broken elbow, broken ankle, seven broken fingers, four broken ribs, a shattered knee cap, two broken toes, and a light concussion. A torn ear, dislocated shoulder, knife wound on his left leg and just to the right of his spine, in the middle of his back, a hole burned through his left palm, burns from hot pokers all down his left arm, an 28 lash marks. From what I can get magically he was under at least two Cruciatus curses the whole time. he's also got numerous back wounds that look like he had thorns or pins driven into him." She shook her head, most of the more minor injuries were healed, but he was going to be in the Hospital wing for a long time. Ron felt sick, how could anyone, even Voldemort, do this to another living person? There were eight Order healers in the wing, working on the prisoners, none of them were in the condition Harry was. Besides them nearly two score of Order agents were sitting in out of the way places, Ron suspected they had magically widened the room, it didn't used to take nine paces to walk all the way across it, and there didn't used to be this many chairs. Remus, Ron, Arrabella, Aram, Sertisa, Ira, Albus, and Severus were sitting around Harry's bed, though Ron was astonished that Snape had stayed. Sirius was busy with some Order/Ministry matter or other. The broom brigade, now thirty strong, were surrounding the castle. The Gryffindor quidditch team was keeping watch over Gryffindor Tower. At that moment five prefects entered bearing food and drinks for the prisoners, all of whom hadn't eaten much since their capture, and hot cocoa for the Order.  
  
"How is he?" Hermione asked, handing out drinks to those around Harry and pulling up a chair for herself.  
  
"Not too good, but I bet he'll live, he's tough." Ron answered watching the freed prisoners, they all looked starved, and were more then grateful for the hot food. The prefects finished their job and stood back around the walls, loath to leave with so much going on.  
  
"Poor thing, just look at it, all skin and bones, its injured too." Hermione said, conjuring up bandages for the baby Fire Lion, who refused to leave Harry's side, it had tried to burn Sertisa when she tried to pick it up. It dodged away from Hermione, ignoring her good intentions. She sighed in exasperation and summoned it with a charm, bandaging it just before a tiny jet of flame shot from its mouth and its flame tipped tail lashed out. "Ouch! I was only trying to help!" She yelped indignantly at it, the kitten turned its back on her and walked up to Harry, curling up on his pillow just above his head. No gratitude, that's your problem." She told it firmly, examining her hand.  
  
There was a yowl from the window and Tiger leaped in, he looked the kitten over, and touched noses with it, before curling up beside his master. Ron looked out the window, a War Unicorn, a Basilisk, and a Dire Wolf were sitting next to the lake, the unicorn grazing quietly, the dire wolf lying next to the water, head on paws, the snake lay coiled on a large rock. There was a hoot, and Hedwig soared in, she landed on the back of Ron's chair and looked at Harry.  
  
"HoooooT?" She asked, Ron smiled at the large owl.  
  
"He should be okay," he said, reaching up to pet her, Hedwig hooted, seamed to nod, and took flight again, dipping out the window and off in the direction of the owlery.  
  
"Do you think she understands?" Cynthia, a Ravenclaw prefect, asked from her place along the wall behind them, she sounded doubtful.  
  
"Yeah, she's been Harry's owl for years, they practically have their own language to communicate by.  
  
"Then why can't I do that with my owl?" Cho asked curiously.  
  
"Probably because your owl isn't the only company you have all summer in a tiny room in a house where everybody truly loathes you." Hermione said, noting the shocked looks on the other prefects faces. None of them could really imagine what Harry had gone through at the Dursleys each summer since first year. At that moment Harry shuddered and his scar began to turn a little redder, as if it might start bleeding again.  
  
"Uh ho." Ron murmured, Dumbledore reached over and touched Harry's scar lightly, and quickly drew back his hand and shook it.  
  
"Its really hot, he's having more dreams, that's just what he doesn't need now. Perhaps it would be best if he woke up." The headmaster whispered.  
  
"No, he must be asleep for another five hours before it is safe for him to wake." Miranda said, "but I don't know what would help him."  
  
Snape conjured up a few never melting ice cubs and arranged them along Harry's scar so the entire thing was covered.  
  
"These might work, cold to counter the heat." He suggested, the lion cub mewed and rubbed against Harry's chin, she mewed again and looked up at them as if to say, Can't you do anything more?  
  
"No little one, there is nothing more we can possibly do for him." Dumbledore said sorrowfully, Harry twisted in his sleep, a look of agony crossing his face. Arrabella sighed and touched his hand sympathetically, the cub mewed again and curled up next to Harry, its head resting on its paws, gazing at its master sadly. The Hospital wing door opened Sirius, flanked by two Order members came in. He conjured up another chair between Albus and Miranda, the other two joined a group talking quietly in a corner.  
  
"How is he?" He asked, stroking his god son's hair, careful not to touch the ice on his scar.  
  
"Not very well, he'll live, most others would have died early on, but Harry's tough. He seems to be having another of those dreams, his scar's burning up. Sirius sighed and shook his head, he reached out and petted the cub, who did seem to care at all.  
  
"Severus, what happened, after Harry stopped Voldemort from killing you?" He asked, everyone looked at Snape, who studied his clasped hands intently, not meeting anyone's eyes. Finally he lifted his head and looked at Sirius and began to speak.  
  
Ron listened to the story, marveling once again at his friend's power and loyalty to the Order and all those who fought Voldemort, and his unwillingness to give up. It was surprising, not long ago Snape would have died of shame had Harry saved his life, and he never would have allowed Sirius to tell him to do anything without considerable argument, amazing what war did to people. Maybe Snape would be so despicable to Gryffindors, especially Harry, after this…Nah that'd happen the day hell froze over. Snape had great trouble on the part during the short fight just before Harry had transformed, he had to choke the words out. Ron couldn't help but be amused Snape was disgusted and enraged at having been saved by Harry.  
  
"Well he knows his power now, it's about time he learned who he is." Sirius said, his voice lowered so the other people in the room couldn't hear. Hermione and Ron exchanged looks, what was he talking about?  
  
"Yes, maybe we shouldn't have kept it from him for so long, he'll probably lose his temper and electrocute us all." Dumbledore said rather dryly. Sirius glanced at him in surprise, everyone else stared in shock at the sarcasm dripping from his voice..  
  
"What?" Remus asked, Dumbledore didn't use that tone of voice often.  
  
"Remember what he said when I asked him what the Basilisk had told him. He was hiding something, he is hiding something from us, and we need to know what. But I do think we should tell him, if he doesn't already know."  
  
"He said that "I will look forward to learning what you are keeping from me headmaster." He knows we are keeping something important from him, and he doesn't like it. But he isn't telling us everything either. Though personally I feel he should have been told before now, he might have a perfectly good reason for keeping information from us. We can't know until he tells." Sirius replied, defending Harry, as he had seen and heard that little exchange from an observers point of view he heard what Dumbledore did not.  
  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _  
  
(AN: the following is from Hermione's diary)  
  
Dear Diary,  
  
Well Harry woke up today, its been twenty nine hours since he got back, and he looks much better already, maybe.  
  
We were all at breakfast, except Sirius, Remus, Miranda, and Snape (why that bugger stayed I'll never know) those four hadn't left Harry's bedside since he'd be brought to the Hospital wing. The Order agent Aram came into the hall and whispered something to Dumbledore, then Dumbledore stood and left the hall with him. Ron and I followed as soon as breakfast was over. We got to the Hospital wing and found them all seated around Harry, looking a little excited. Then suddenly his eyes opened and he tried to sit, Sirius pushed him back down again. Harry looked so tired and weak, I've never seen him like this. He lay back down and asked "how long?" Ron looked like he would hyperventilate with excitement. "Twenty nine hours." Snape told Harry, who scowled, as if he didn't understand just how serious his injuries were.  
  
"Are the others okay?" He asked, Ron exploded.  
  
"Why can't you just care for yourself instead of half the world for a change?" He growled, he hasn't completely learned to hold his temper I guess. Harry looked around at the other freed prisoners, then he gave us all that impish grin, the one that makes half the girls in the school(not me) drool over him.  
  
"Is this really half the world? Oh my, what on earth could possibly have happened to the rest of it?" Ron looked like he might hit Harry, so did almost everyone else there. "I do care about myself Ron, but I like to be useful, what was I supposed to do? Leave them there in Voldemort's clutches, when I blew up that castle they'd have died to you know."  
  
"Then you think he's dead?" Snape asked, he really surprised me, he's been more worried over Harry then Sirius has, how odd, does this extend to all Gryffindors? Ha! Never!  
  
"No, just badly injured though he was already, fuming probably. Cursing everyone in sight, raving mad right now, in other words, having a royal temper tantrum." Harry grinned again, quiet pleased with the picture he'd just given us.  
  
The rest of the day was, for me, normal, Harry'll be in the Hospital wing for a few days yet. But he's spending the time well, Dumbledore, Sirius, Miranda, Snape, Arrabella, Sertisa, and Aram and him are having a meeting, it'll probably last all day. 


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8  
  
"Well, now you know, you are technically the only full blood wizard alive. No one else descends from Merlin, Gryffindor, Ambrosius, and Emrys. All of which, in the Ancient Language of Magic all mean Royal Aaron. Your symbol of power, as you can easily guess, is lightning and the Royal Aaron." Miranda sat back, Harry thought hard, trying to sort out this information, in a way he'd already known, it wasn't that much of a surprise.  
  
"there is more to the prophecy, the heir will find a way to destroy Voldemort, when, well, that's not known, do you have any ideas? Is that what you aren't telling us?" Harry frowned, Dumbledore couldn't get over the fact that Harry wasn't, couldn't, tell them everything about what he knew.  
  
"Perhaps, it may be connected, it may not. Either way I'm not saying anything, so please stop asking, it won't do you any good to know, it'll make things worse." What Harry wasn't telling them, he knew that rankled with them, he trusted them completely, and they trusted him, but for their good and his he couldn't just spill all that he knew.  
  
The fact was Harry's power stone hadn't worked correctly, he was only able to save a little power in them, not an infinite amount. The royal blue stone was the one he could store power in, the dark, almost black, was unresponsive. He could do nothing with it, he didn't know why, something he hadn't discovered. To make those stones Harry had melted a little of every metal and stone that existed, and mixed them together. In that mixture he had put some of his power. The mixture wouldn't recognize the power as his, it was just power to fuel its creation. To bind the stone to him and those he wished to be able to use them he'd poured in some of his blood. The mixture had remained liquid in a caldron made of power for a week. Then he'd stopped the heat, added more of his power so that the stones would form in a shape of his choosing, and then let it cool. Both stones weighed almost nothing, despite their size, about as large as a tennis ball cut in half. The bottom was flat and the ends rounded, the surface area was in an oval shape. But he'd missed something, something that had to be done after their creation that would make them work. And why were they different colors? He had planned for one power stone, and the extra material to be made into another stone, into which he could draw Voldemorts power until Voldemort's essence itself was forever trapped inside the stone. What was missing?  
  
"How long did Madam Pomfrey say I'll have ot stay here?" he asked, dreading the answer.  
  
"A week, you had extremely severe injuries Harry. Don't worry, you won't have to make up the missed work, since you know the spells already." Remus said, Harry sighed with relief. At that moment an owl dropped a letter onto his stomach. Harry opened it.  
  
Fellow Prankster,  
  
We've been looking through your list of pranks, and #320, caught our eye. We'll be performing the prank next Friday at lunch, don't drink a thing at lunch, bring your own water bottle. Thank you for the ideas, Ron is helping us, if you're allowed (or if your not) we'll tell you how to help if you want to. Since you have all that free time this week. Please get well soon, Gryffindor (and the rest of the school) is worried sick about you.  
  
Your Fellow Pranksters  
  
Harry grinned, "320 huh?" t was one of his better ones to be sure.  
  
"What's the date?" he asked, hoping he'd be up and about by next Friday.  
  
"It's Thursday, the 19th, not the 320th why?" Dumbledore asked, eyeing the letter, as if it were something potentially dangerous. Harry placed the letter, folded, beside him on the table, piled high with get well cards and presents.  
  
"New quidditch game plans." Harry said, grinning, he wasn't going to tell what time or where, not with Snape listening like he was right now. Fortunately this was true, he did have new plans to start the team training for. And he was probably getting out of shape, having spent three weeks being tortured by Voldemort.  
  
"Riiiight. And my aunt's a house elf." Miranda said, Harry blinked at her.  
  
"Really? She is? Cool!" This set off a few chuckles, Miranda grinned.  
  
"Yeah, can't you see the family resemblance?" Sirius asked, ducking a swipe from Miranda.  
  
"Disgusting mutt." She retorted, she waved her hand at Sirius and a large black dog stood there, the words ULTIMATE LOSER glowing on his side. Sirius snarled and transformed to human again. There was a trill from the window, Raslith was bobbing his head up and down in agreement with her.  
  
"Traitor, thought you were showing Zarglash to his temporary home." Sirius commented, Raslith flapped his wings slightly and nodded again.  
  
"Harry I've been noticing that some students, mostly the younger ones, are going around ready to panic at their own shadows. Do you have any ideas as to what we can do?" Dumbledore asked, Harry nodded, the prefects were reporting to him each evening, and the picture they had drawn wasn't a good one for school moral.  
  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _  
  
Friday Harry was finally freed from the Hospital wing.  
  
"Harry! Finally, you're free. Come on, we've got class."  
  
Harry groaned, Potions.  
  
"Potter you missed several important assignments, I expect you to have them made up by Tuesday." Snape snapped at Harry, Harry smirked and handed him four bottles.  
  
"I already did them Professor." Snape glared and took the potions, Harry sighed, Snape would purposely give him a F on all four. His saving Snape's life a couple times didn't seem to have helped matters. If anything Snape was worse, taking thirty points from Gryffindor for very minor offenses before class was over.  
  
The day dragged on, finally lunch came. Harry made sure to bring his own water bottle.  
  
At lunch all the silverware started tap dancing along the tables, over peoples heads, turning over food and drinks, and ending up piled on the staff table in a huge mound of knives, forks, and spoons, along with several goblets that decided to join the fun. Once everything got sorted out the meal was interrupted again by everyone's hair standing on end thanks to a special kind of "salad dressing". Harry could see the looks being directed his way by Prof. McGonagal, but evidently she thought he hadn't been out of the hospital wing long enough to manage anything like this, nor could she find any way to blame the twins.  
  
"We really do have a problem here, this just can not continue. It just won't work, there must be something we can do." Harry listened noting the slight note of desperation in Dumbledore's voice as he addressed the staff and prefects. It was true, the students were a panicky mess, something had to be done soon.  
  
"Sir Harry and I have finished the preparations for the party tomorrow. It will be a good chance for them to let off steam and relax. However we need help decorating, and choosing the food." This announcement from Ron was greeted by a few sighs of relief from staff and prefects alike. Dumbledore, obviously relieved and grateful turned to them.  
  
"What's the theme? What sort of help did you have in mind?" This had been a topic of a major argument, ending in a compromise.  
  
"Well we'll need tropical fruit juices, 620 grass skirts, 20 palm trees, 620 beach chairs, 900 flower necklaces, 8 hula-hoops, 200 varied tropical plants, 50 pounds of half wet sand, 14 brooms all the same type, 45 parrots, a large variety of fruit, salads, and three types of chicken. We'll also need to enchant the great hall with a very humid and hot temperature, the sun should be at about dusk." Harry reeled of the list from memory, wide grins were spreading across faces that had been worried and strained moments before as they realized what he had planned. "We'll also need a stage and some appropriate music, there are a bunch of volunteers who will do the rest. Right Hermione?" Hermione grinned, she too was in on the plan.  
  
"Yep, I've got 24 volunteers ready to go." Dumbledore just shook his head and smiled.  
  
"How much of that do you have done?" Remus asked.  
  
"We've got the grass skirts, hula-hoops, parrots, sand, brooms, and palm trees finished." Ron said, looking over the list he was holding. "Ravenclaw you can take care of the flower necklaces and fruit juices, Hufflepuff you'll do the plants and tell the house elves what to put in the salads and the chicken, Slytherin you'll do the beach chairs and fruits. Gryffindor will work on the acts and set up the stage." He looked around, all the prefects were nodding, the work had been split up fairly evenly, but Gryffindor was still doing the most. "Professors you can choose some of the music and enchant the atmosphere and ceiling. If you have any questions just ask." As the room slowly emptied the professors stayed behind with the Gryffindors.  
  
"Who's doing the performances?" McGonagal asked as soon as the door had shut.  
  
"Well Hermione's volunteers will be dancing, synchronized hula-hooping, a hula-hooping contest, and acrobatics. The Gryffindor quidditch team is doing a thing on broomsticks and we have 6 students doing a hilarious pantomime thing, a pie eating contest, and several groups who are putting on other acts such as signing and dancing. Almost all of them are from Gryffindor, but that shouldn't be a problem, the Slytherins haven't volunteered at all, no surprise there." Harry said, enjoying the looks on their faces. "We also have a tap dancing group, no I'm not telling you who, they wish to remain anonymous, but from what I hear that should be very enjoyable." He traded looks with Ron, Ira, and Hermione who were struggling to keep straight faces, the professors would be doing that act, though they didn't know it yet. They had been enchanted with special tap dancing charms. The sight of their teachers tap dancing in grass skirts was sure to amuse the students no end.  
  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _  
  
Clash! The clang of steel on steel echoed around the room. Harry swirled and slid back as Sirius's sword lashed out again. He was in the order wing, Sirius had insisted he practice here instead of on his own. Harry allowed Sirius to maneuver him until his back was to a wall before he attacked again, sparks flew everywhere. Sirius disengaged and dropped back, rubbing his arm to stop the vibrations running through it. Harry smiled and pressed his advantage, seeking for a way to disarm Sirius. It wasn't until he'd started fencing with the Order that Harry had realized how rare the style of fencing he used was. He'd found the instructions in an old book in the restricted section, little did he know that the book had been about a special style of sword play only used by the Lightdancers. An ancient method, originally developed by Godric Gryffindor's family, the users were all dead, Harry was the only one who knew the style, and could use it well. Finally he saw an opening, ducking Sirius's blade he used the flat of his to hit Sirius's arm, causing him to drop his sword while Harry's came up and rested on the bridge of his nose.  
  
"Well fought Harry." Sirius said, lowering his blade, he meant it. He'd been going rather easy on Harry, who was still rather weak from his ordeal and tired easily, obviously Harry was pushing himself to return to peak fitness quickly. Harry grinned and stepped back, it was his fourth fight of the day, and he'd won all of them. He didn't dare push it anymore than that, though he didn't like to admit it he still tired quickly. He grabbed a towel from a rack and headed off the showers. All classes had been cancelled because of the party that evening, and he still had decorating to do.  
  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _  
  
"Did you see that?" Sirius asked Albus as they left the gym.  
  
"Yes, he's very good at it, it's amazing, he had to master the art of the Lightdancers all on his own with just an old book for guidance.  
  
"He's a natural, born to fight, he's just as good with a bow or a knife. He will be a excellent addition to the Order, if he joins."  
  
"Do you think he will?" Albus asked, this had been the topic for many discussions among the Order lately. For one who was so young and not a member to have as much power in the Order as Harry did was rare.  
  
"Yes, if it is still around, I'm hoping he'll lead it. He may change his mind though, and I never did ask him if he wanted to join. But he's practically a member anyway." Sirius stopped as they had reached the great hall doors. On each side of the doors was a large, brightly colored bird with a stack of programs at its feet, ready to start giving them to the students. Inside the air was very warm, palm trees and tropical flowers were along the walls. Parrots squawked at them as they flew about from tree to tree. A stage was being erected at one end of the hall and brightly colored beach chairs were being arranged in rows with small tables in between them.  
  
"You're nearly done." Albus commented to Ron who was supervising where the food went on the two tables in the back of the room.  
  
"Not really sir, the chairs aren't done yet, the stage isn't completed, nor is the lighting, and the sand castle is only half finished." He gestured towards a huge sand castle, a model of Hogwarts, the stood beside the food tables in the back. It was nearly fifteen feet tall, enchanted shovels and pails of various sizes worked on their own, following a drawing Harry had made for them. It was only half done, a pile of tiny flags and water for the lake were beside it. High above them a group of students on brooms floated banners for each of the houses and one with the Hogwarts seal on it, attaching them to the enchanted ceiling with invisible ropes. A brilliant sunset lit the sky with red pinks oranges and yellows. The floor was covered in a five inch thick layer of sand. Over in a corner students were readying bags of confetti.  
  
"This will be some party! Who's the DJ?" Sirius asked as he looked around in astonishment.  
  
"Actually I think that may be the four organizers of this beach party. Can't wait, it should be fun for everyone." Albus said, heading towards his office.  
  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _  
  
Students reported to the great hall, and were met by the two South American Toucans giving out programs, everyone looked rather nervous. The room was dark, so dark they could barely see, Harry sent a light signal to Ron from his hiding place against a wall. Ron passed it on to the other prefects. As the last student entered the doors slammed shut, the lights went on, with a flash everyone was wearing grass skirts and flower necklaces over the muggle shorts and T-shirt they'd been told to wear. Confetti fell from the ceiling Ron took the stage.  
  
"Welcome everyone, now if you will all please take a seat, food and drinks are in the back if you want them, our first act is the acrobats."  
  
Dumbledore gave Harry a thumbs up as the students quickly settled down on the chairs to watch. Lee and Ron were taking turns with the announcements and giant lizards were serving the food and drinks. Soon the wary and frightful looks on peoples faces were replaced with smiles and laughter.  
  
"Now please cheer for the Gryffindor quidditch team!" Harry nodded to the rest of the team and they flew in through the door, standing on their brooms. They had spent all day perfecting this act. The flyers soared up almost to the ceiling, they began a flight pattern, so that sometimes there appeared to be only four people and sometimes 14, they wove around, occasionally jumping from their brooms to others and back again, unafraid of the fifty foot fall to the ground. Finally they finished that and began another demonstration of their skills, putting into play the most dangerous and amazing moves they knew. During the next twenty minutes each player took a turn pretending to fall, only to be caught by his/her team mates. Then after the last player had gone Ira began her act. She rolled off her broom and fell through the air, doing a summersault as she did, she turned it into a dive, headed straight for the ground. The two chasers zoomed in, one hung from her broom by her knees, as Ira fell in front of her Alicia grabbed Ira's wrists and together they swung back and forth, using the momentum of Ira's fall. Ira climbed onto Katie's broom behind her until her broom came back to her. Now Harry took center stage, behind him the others went into another intricate flying pattern in a half circle. He did a backflip off his broom followed by a spin and a double summersault, he then did two flips in the air, making sure that he kept his body as straight as possible. When someone came near to catch him he curled up and did four summersaults. Finally he stretched out into a dive, barely ten feet from the ground he reached out and grabbed Fred's hands, Fred let their momentum take them both under his broom and halfway back up again before he let go of Harry. Harry sailed off doing another summersault, only instead of going down he was now going across the ten foot gap between Fred and Angelina. He grabbed the Angelina's hands, and, like with Fred, they both swung around, only this time Harry went all the way around the broom with the chaser until he was back where he'd started. Both swung around on the broom like gymnasts on bars until they reach forty feet. Then Harry let go, diving down. Flipping through the air Harry plummeted, with a last summersault he righted himself, feet down. Suddenly his Firebolt sped over below him, Harry landed on one foot and did a back flip in the air before landing on his broom again, as he hit it the broom sank quickly, absorbing the impact. The teams flew down to join the celebrations as their performance ended.  
  
The night wore on slowly, Harry joined Hermione and Ron back stage before the final act.  
  
"We really out did ourselves this time you know, and we're not even done yet." Ron said gleefully as the crowd roared with laughter at Ira and Morgan, who were doing a comedy skit/muggle magic show. Finally their part ended, Harry, Ira, and Ron grabbed their brooms, Fred and George joined them in the air.  
  
"And now ladies and gentlemen, for our final act!" Ira shouted from the stage, she waved at them and the four activated their spells.  
  
The professors rose up into the air and landed on the stage, before they could do a thing their wands were taken and tap dancing charms put on them. Harry could have sworn the castle shook with the laughter coming from the students and the Order members who were attending. Harry, Ron, Fred, and George flew above the professors doing elaborate and dangerous flying maneuvers over the crowd. All at once the parrots took to the air, zooming about and dropping candy on people's heads.  
  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _  
  
"Come on Harry, we've got class." Harry groaned and rolled over, Ron was glaring at him. "We're going to be late! Hurry up!" Harry grimaced and rolled out of bed as Ron headed down to the common room. Fine for him to be up so early, he hadn't been having prophetic dreams about Voldemort all night. Harry pulled on his robes, grabbed his glasses, and hurried off after him.  
  
Snape was horrid in Potions class, taking fifty points from Gryffindor, though it was probably because of the tap dancing last night. Harry wasn't amused, he and Ron left the class plotting revenge.  
  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _  
  
Harry hurried down the corridor, he was late for the Order meeting, not his fault, he'd been ambushed by Peeves. He slowed as he reached the door and walked in. Inside 143 (they had gotten some new recruits) Order members were sitting in a large circle, on the floor, desks and shelf tops, a few chairs, some just floated in the air, while others were lying on the floor, head propped up against walls or on piles of books or cushions from the three couches. Everyone was dressed casually and chatting away like they were all old friends. Hardly the dignified Order that the public saw. Harry saw that he wasn't in fact the last one, a minute later the broom brigade came in, looking very windblown after battling the fierce wind to get there. Sirius quirked an eyebrow at Harry questioningly. Harry tossed him the dream recording parchment and found a place on the floor next to Remus.  
  
"Alright now that we're all here, on to the first topic, Sarlan?" Sarlan sat upright in his chair, he was head of intelligence, spies and such.  
  
"Okay, not much new, Voldemort's next meeting place will be the East Park Graveyard. When, well we don't know. Severus you're not to go when he calls, we'll find a way to stop the call from forcing you to go, he'll only kill you. Did you make the last delivery?" Severus shook his head, seeing that not everyone understood he explained.  
  
"Voldemort is preparing a potion, for what I don't know he's been asking me to help by making some of the ingredients. We really need to know what it is, unfortunately the ingredients he asked for can go into any number of potions." He stopped and Sarlan continued.  
  
"Harry are you still having dream and visions of the death eaters? Your probably our best source of up to date information of Voldemort's movements, he doesn't trust any of the other spies easily." Harry gestured to Sirius who flicked the parchment open on the desk, slowly Harry's latest dream began to play.  
  
"Yes, just watch." A black table top appeared with fifty different things on it, slowly everything swirled and mixed, bubbled and boiled for five minutes, turning a different color each minute, then it became still, the picture drew back and it was in a cup. A high, evil laugh rang out, muggles in chains marched in lines across a burnt field to huge building, row upon row of cells, millions of them. One muggle to each tiny cell, dementors floated about, death eaters cracked long whips at the muggles blood dripped and ran over the scene. Voldemort stood their laughing as nearly a thousand wizards and witch knelt in long rows. He walked down the lines, taking their wands and asking if they would serve him, screams rang our harshly a flash of light, the potion ingredients again, swirling together, bubbling into a cup, then Voldemort drinking it, the darkness.  
  
The vision vanished, there was a long silence, then Harry began to explain.  
  
"Voldemort is making a immortality potion, those were the ingredients, the ones on the left he has, the eight on the right he still needs. Most of them don't matter, however he has told Avery to steal these last things. I only know what two of them are, powdered basilisk fang, and chopped and boiling unicorn tail hair. Both of which offer us a relatively easy chance to destroy him." This was greeted with gasps, a murmurs and questions, Harry grinned a little, this could turn out to be soooo easy.  
  
"Why? How?" Sarlan asked excitedly.  
  
"Well you see dried and powdered Harpiler flower poison looks exactly like powdered basilisk poison, but it flames up as soon as it touches digestive juices, nothing can cure or stop the spontaneous combustion until the drinker is dead. Boiled and chopped arctic sphinx hair looks, and tastes exactly like unicorn tail hair. Except it's lethal, kills in ten seconds, all it needs to activate its poison is foxglove juice, which is another ingredient." Cheers erupted in the room, someone was pounding Harry on the back, everyone was on their feet cheering joyfully. Gradually Sirius restored order.  
  
"Well I think it can be arranged that Avery gets those instead of what he intended, well done Harry, well done. Now, third patrol head to Antarctica, you're in charge of getting the arctic sphinx tail hair. Does anyone know where we could find Harpiler flowers?" Harry saw Dumbledore signal him from the doorway and followed him out.  
  
"Leave them, they'll get it all right, the Gryffindor team wants you, I believe your practice is in five minutes. And good job, excellent, by this time next year we may be well rid of Voldemort." Smiling happily the headmaster went back into the order's wing, Harry hurried out to the quidditch pitch.  
  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _  
  
Life in the castle gradually returned to normal, the snows melted and new grass grew. Harry got no word on what was happening with the Order, but they all seemed happy so he assumed it was all going well. The quidditch final was coming up in a month, Gryffindor vs. Slytherin. The atmosphere in the halls was decidedly edgy, nerves were on high and there were several minor scuffles and duels. Under Harry's instructions the Gryffindors only fought when given no other choice, not allowing themselves to be provoked in any way. Everyone seemed angry at the Slytherins, they all knew who was most likely to be Voldemort's followers, but Harry was trying to befriend the Slytherins. Maybe he could save them from Voldemort and his dark ways, four third years seemed very promising, and the Gryffindors teamed up to be nice to the Slytherins whenever possible. However when it came to Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle attacking two fourth years the Gryffindors stood strong around their fellows, Harry, Ron, and Hermione arrived just as that fight was about halfway through. Harry broke up the fight, Hermione got a teacher, and Ron took the two injured fourth years to the hospital wing. Malfoy lost his prefect status for that, and got a month of detentions.  
  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _  
  
"But we have to try to be nicer, there's so much stereotyping with Slytherin, their not all bad, most of them were decent people. But being in Slytherin, the most hated house, has ruined them. Thanks a lot you two." Harry added to Ira and Neville, since the hospital wing currently held eight Slytherins the Gryffindors were avoiding it. As a result they were curing their own injuries, Ira had turned out to be a very good healer as well as Keeper, and Neville was excellent with herbs. Harry lifted the collar of his robs again to cover the injury left by a sharp rock Malfoy and thrown at him. Neville handed him an odd looking leaf from a plant in their dormitory.  
  
"Here, this'll stop the swelling and speed the healing process." Harry thanked him again and began chewing the leaf, while breaking up the fight someone had punched him on the jaw, now he had a blue bruise and it was swelling slightly.  
  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _  
  
"Gryffindor quidditch team get up! We have a match in an hour!" Harry shouted, using the voice charm. There were groans as his shout woke the entire house. Soon the team stumbled into the common room, still half asleep, with their brooms.  
  
"Alright everyone, we're not going down to breakfast with the rest of the house, we're eating outside on the pitch. Come on." Harry ignored their questioning looks as he grabbed his Firebolt and dove out the window. The team arrived on the pitch to find a table floating in the air with their breakfasts on it.  
  
"Okay everyone, in order to warm up a bit and get our balance before the match we're all eating while sitting on our brooms. Then we'll have time for a lap or two around the pitch before the match." The team did as he said, using their brooms as chairs.  
  
"You know this is a good idea, Slytherin won't have had a practice, however brief, before the match, it'll give us the advantage." Ira commented, struggling to balance while attempting to eat and sit cross legged on her broom. Harry finished and looked around, once everyone was done he flicked his wand and the table and food disappeared.  
  
"Now, we'll just go through the maneuvers we'll need most, keep close to the ground, we have ten minutes." Two minutes before the match started Harry called everyone down and they went to go change, the crowds would be coming out soon and he wasn't sure if practicing before the match was legal.  
  
"Captain shake hands, and they're off!" Ron was commentating for this match with Lee's help. Lee was training Ron to take over when he left, Harry zipped around Malfoy who attempted to knock him off his broom and flew up, high over the game, searching for the snitch. Malfoy was following him as best he could, and Harry didn't like that. Harry turned his broom and flew along at a speed Malfoy could barely match, then he gasped and dove straight down, as if he'd seen the snitch, Malfoy followed.  
  
"Will you look at that! Potter's seen he snitch, but can he pull out of that dive in time?" Lee yelled, Ron was gaping at the two racing towards the hard ground. Two feet from the ground Harry reached out one hand and slowed a little, Malfoy pulled alongside and reached out to, looking for the snitch, Harry pulled out of the dive and went up again. Malfoy slammed into the ground with a loud thud.  
  
"And Potter pulls off a perfect Wronksi Feint!" Ron shouted happily as the whistle blew and Madam Pomfrey hurried over to Malfoy. She put Malfoy on a stretcher and hurried off the field, another Slytherin came to take his place.  
  
"And Malfoy is out of the game with a sprained wrist, and he's out cold, he may be back later though." Ron called out, Harry watched the approaching Seeker, the other was on a Nimbus Two thousand, Harry could beat him easy, he wasn't a very good flier. Harry ignored the opponent Seeker and dove towards a bunch of Slytherins who were attacking Katie as she attempted to score, they scattered as Harry pulled out of his dive just above their heads. Katie scored, a Slytherin got the ball and they headed up the field, Ira blocked it, Angelina and Alicia flew down the filed, passing it back and forth. The entire Slytherin team gathered near the goal to stop them. Harry signaled Fred and George, the three of the formed a triangle, bouncing the two Bludgers around inside it. Fred and George using their clubs, and Harry his broom. The came at the crowd from above, about twenty feet above them Harry changed his swing and sent a Bludger smashing into the Keeper, George did the same, knocking a chaser off his broom. Both players hit the ground, Alicia scored. Now it was 60-0, Harry flew off again, keeping low, instinct told him that the snitch would appear near the ground.  
  
Harry's instinct was proved right, he felt the familiar tingle in his mind, a bright flash to his left, he swerved and went for the snitch, the other Seeker was to far away to get there in time. As he neared it the snitch vanished, Harry shot up like a rocket, realizing it would now be higher up, the new seeker was replaced as Malfoy returned. Harry scowled, not good, Harry began a series of swirls and loops around Malfoy, designed to confuse and dizzy him. It worked, when Harry stopped and flew off Malfoy was so dizzy he barely managed to stay on his broom.  
  
"And she scores after that amazing pass by Gryffindor Seeker Potter! Score is now 110-30!" Angelina waved at Harry who gave her a thumbs up, he'd knocked the quaffle out of a Slytherin chaser's hands with a Bludger bounced it off his broom to Angelina. He wasn't allowed to touch quaffle or Bludgers with his hands, but there was nothing in the rules about not using your broom. Then Harry saw it, the snitch, nearly forty feet below him, Malfoy followed Harry's gaze and saw it, he sped towards it. Harry, deciding that it was not yet time to end the game pushed his broom to its limit, quickly catching up with Malfoy, at the last instant he swerved, pushing Malfoy aside, he continued to push until they both had done a half circle and were facing back the way they came. There were roars from the crowd, Malfoy began shouting insults, harry ignored him and bounced both Bludgers off his broom as they came at him, both hit the Slytherin Keeper just as Katie threw the quaffle, and scored as he was knocked out of the way and winded.  
  
The game continued with no further sign of the snitch, Harry called into play every dangerous move he knew to beat the other team. Harry was now standing on his broom, to the pure joy of the crowd, cameras were flashing everywhere. Two hours passed, thrice more Harry turned Malfoy away from the snitch with a number of tricks. The Slytherin team had been beaten black and blue, every time they tried to cheat the Gryffindors used a legal move to injure them, finally they got the point and stopped cheating. But the damage was done, they were playing their second replacement Keeper, the first two were out of the game, and their third new Chaser, as the other three had been injured or taken out for too much cheating, and their fifth replacement Beater. With all the penalty shots Gryffindor had gotten plus the ones they scored anyway the score was 260 to 80, Gryffindor fans had nearly cheered themselves hoarse. The new Gryffindor cheerleading team was exhausted, they had just been replaced by the reserve group.  
  
Then Harry saw his chance, the snitch, ninety feet below him, and Malfoy had just seen it. As Malfoy raced toward it Harry did a backflip off his broom. He flipped through the air, falling at and amazing speed, he finally turned it into a dive and reached out for the snitch. He couldn't breath, he was going to fast to breath, air whistled past him, he ears popped and began to really hurt, he was going to fast, he wouldn't be able to stop. Harry fought to control his panic and to breath as he dove, then the snitch was there, he grabbed it and turned, finally his feet were downwards, he used a wandless summoning charm to call his broom, it flew below him. He hit it and kept going down as the hard impact of his landing was absorbed. Finally, three feet from the ground, he stopped, the snitch held high above his head. Malfoy hurtled past and plowed a huge furrow in the ground as he hit.  
  
Screams and cheers echoed around the stadium, Harry opened his eyes, everything blurred as they watered from the air streaming past him during his fall. It was over, 410 to 80. He'd done it, he'd won, the quidditch cup was Gryffindors. And the House cup too, with all the point he'd just gotten them. The crowd swarmed over the barriers, harry jumped down from his broom into the cheering mass and was lifted high again. He handed the snitch to Lee, suddenly seven red objects hit him hard.  
  
"We won! We won! Go Harry!"  
  
"The cup is ours! Yeah Harry!  
  
"Way to go! Go team!" Harry laughed happily, as the team and him were carried high up to the steps, then they hopped down and went up to where Dumbledore stood beside the cup.  
  
"Hey Ira, you're the newest team member, you take it!" Harry told her, Ira, beaming lifted the cup high as the crowd cheered before she was lifted up on Fred and George's shoulders, once she safely reached the ground again she put it back on the stand, Harry got the team's attention.  
  
"Party time?" The enthusiastic roars from the Gryffindors told he was right, he traded wink with Fred and George, the two jumped on their broom and flew for the castle across the pitch to go get party supplies, Harry leaped back onto his broom, the rest of the team followed, though they sat on theirs. Harry lifted a fist and the crowd roared again as the team turned a flew for Gryffindor Tower. Behind them the swarms of students went back into the castle, leaving the professors on the pitch.  
  
"Well done Minerva." Severus spat unhappily before stalking back to his dungeons.  
  
"I don't think we'll be seeing him until his hurt pride has healed a bit. Flitwick commented. McGonagal nodded in agreement while beaming, her eyes wet with tears of joy.  
  
"Go team! We're the best!" Harry laughed at the antic of Alicia, Angelina, and Katie as the three danced in a circle near the fire, cheering madly.  
  
"Here." Fred and George arrived with more drinks and treats from the kitchens.  
  
The party continued until midnight, then McGonagal came and sent them all off to bed. Harry fell into a dreamless sleep thinking of the new cup with Gryffindor's red and gold lion on it and Gryffindor inscribed on the bottom in red. 


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9  
  
"Good you're all on time. Now I have some important news for you. Half an hour ago Voldemort attacked the auror headquarters, without warning, he then used a number of means to destroy them and the Hit Wizard society of the Ministry." Sirius stopped, and let the news sink in. Harry was stunned, but he overcame it quickly. No one else did. Dumbledore looked shocked, Harry closed his eyes and leaned back. The whole room was silent, then there were a few disgruntled murmurs, but no one said much. The Order was well trained and they wouldn't start babbling away with no reason.  
  
"Because of this we, the Order of the Phoenix, are the only defense the world has. There are 140 of us, not nearly enough. All the remaining aurors, there are twenty three, and the hit wizards, 6, will be allowed, if they wish, to attempt to join. Recruiting will be stepped up considerably. The Dragon Forces, 39 strong, are arriving at the Fortress today. The Hippogriff Forces, 28 strong and the Dire Wolves, 32 strong, are already there. Also arriving tomorrow are the War Unicorns, 36 strong, and the Basilisks, 25 strong. The Fire Lion Prides, 44 strong, will be getting there in two days. Our total strength is at 344, still barely enough as Voldemort has 6,000 dementors, 300 death eaters, 20 vampires, and 410 Mesmerd, bringing his total strength to 6,730." He waited again, letting them absorb the news. Harry grimaced, he'd been working for two weeks straight, using his dreams and a score of helpful snake friends of his to find Voldemort's strengths. With this and information obtained by other sources they now knew exactly how the attacks had been carried out, and where some of Voldemorts forces were. It was very difficult to hide and supply that many creatures.  
  
"Unfortunately the Immortality Potion Voldemort is making is still brewing and will not need the ingredients we are still attempting to gather for five months." There were groans from the assembly, Harry closed his eyes, he'd tried to get the information needed, and he was tired. "We must prepare ourselves for the battle to come. We need help, tomorrow at 2:00 p.m. those who are left of the hit wizards and aurors will be given a chance to attempt to join our Order. Good luck to all of you." Everyone stood and slowly, those who weren't staying and had things ot do, left. Harry sighed and pulled himself to his feet, and left the room.  
  
"Harry." There silence as Harry entered the common room, he ignored Ron and walked across the room to the fireplace. The despairing fatigued look on his face brought everyone's attention around to the problem. He sighed and leaned his forehead against the wall. The silence was deathly.  
  
"You'll get the news tomorrow, no I'm not going into it now, be prepared for a shock. I'm going to bed." He whispered as Ron approached, the students parted quietly as he walked up to his dormitory. What he really needed now was some dreamless sleep potion and a long rest. Damn, things were going so good, why now? I'm so tired, I just need rest. 453 dead, that's what the headlines will read. Damn it, I didn't get word in time, and they're dead, oh why? Why me? I must be strong, for the students, for the Order. He closed his eyes and drank the potion before climbing into bed.  
  
The next morning the Gryffindors were edgy and nervous, then the news paper arrived. Slowly the hall fell into horrified silence as the students read. No one spoke, slowly papers were put away and whispers of fear began. Harry didn't even glance at his paper and just tossed it into a his bag. Beside him Ron's jaw was hanging open, his eyes wide with horror. Dumbledore stood near the end of the meal, if it could be called a meal.  
  
"Students, now that you've all read the paper and have heard of the crisis facing us I would like to reassure you if at all possible that the Order of the Phoenix is doing everything they can. This schools defense systems have been completely redone, Voldemort won't get passed them again. From now until the end of this year each year of students will have an extra defense class on Sunday. Now, I'll attempt to explain what has happened. The aurors, has I hope most of you knew, were an organization fueled by all the ministries of every country in the world. There were people of every nation and race among them, their headquarters was in China. 678 of them, all but twenty three, that we know of, are now dead. The Hit Wizards were set up by the English Ministry during Voldemort's rise to power, 43, all of them but six, are dead. Let us have a moment of silence for these brave fighters." There was a quiet, then gasps as twelve black owls swooped into the hall. Panicked murmurs carried around, Harry was confused, so was Hermione.  
  
"A black owl is sent to tell you of a family member who has died." Ira whispered softly, one of the owls spiraled down, and landed in front of Ron. Harry gulped, Ron just stared at the black envelope it put before him. Slowly, with trembling hands, he opened it.  
  
"Ron. Who is it, what happened?" Hermione asked in a whisper, Ron dropped the parchment and sighed, looking relieved, and sad.  
  
"Its my cousin, Destria, she was an auror. He hung his head sadly, there were murmurs from around the table. The black owl took another letter, bearing the same message, to Fred and George. Two people at the Hufflepuff table were sobbing, so were three people in Ravenclaw. A soft wail echoed from down the table, Harry looked around, Ginny's friend Samantha was in tears. Hermione and Alicia went to comfort her.  
  
"Students all classes are cancelled this morning, those who have lost family members don't have to attend classes today if they don't feel up to it. Prefects, please stay after the meal." Dumbledore said softly from the staff table. Slowly the tables emptied, leaving the prefects, they all joined the teachers at the head table, conjuring up more chairs.  
  
"Classes are cancelled for you today if you need to stay in your house to comfort students. Needless to say you should all be on the lookout for danger. Voldemort has won a battle, he may attempt to do more damage while everyone is still in shock. Please take all the time and measures necessary to help students who have suffered losses. We have no reason to believe that Voldemort will attack us again any time soon." Here he glanced at Harry, Harry gave a very slight shake of his head, this was true. He indicated with a flick of his eyes that he needed to talk to Dumbledore after this meeting.  
  
"Should we get word of an attack all students are to be brought to the great hall immediately. If the Order finds out about anymore attacks that will happen soon or have just happened you will be notified immediately." He turned to Harry again, so did everyone else.  
  
"Harry, have you had any…warnings…of more attacks?" Harry thought that this was a little direct, in front of everyone, and it put him on the spot, but he had to answer, he gulped and nodded.  
  
"Yes, at the time of the attacks on the aurors and hit wizards I passed out, I'm not sure why. I will attempt to find out more, but it's difficult, since I transformed my powers are much weaker, any dreams, visions, or warnings I get have not been as strong, and they're getting worse. I…I think…I know what is causing it, and how to solve the problem, get my abilities back…but it is too dangerous to… attempt… near a school full of students, we could all be wiped out." He gave Dumbledore a helpless look and shrug, and lowered his eyes, this wasn't fun.  
  
"How far from here would you have to be, for it to be safe?" Dumbledore asked, Harry took a deep breath.  
  
"I have no idea. The powers I might call into play…accidentally or purposely…they could cause an ice age, or any extreme natural disaster, anything. It could shake this world apart. There is a way to find out…I would have to just go ahead and try it. I am sorry, that's all I know." The students and staff were staring in awe that such powers existed, and that Harry could call upon them. But they also looked dejected that he couldn't really help.  
  
"Alright, you try to find out more there, just concentrate on that. Hopefully Voldemort won't do anything for a while yet. I believe Sirius wanted to speak to you too." Harry nodded, stood and left the hall quickly.  
  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _  
  
"Alright Harry, we'll do what we can, don't try to fix those stones yet, I have a team working on it, find all the information they can. What are your powers like?" Sirius asked softly, Harry looked gloomy; his powers had been so strong he almost couldn't handle them on the night of that battle, but now. Now he was still very powerful, but nothing so extraordinary.  
  
"I don't know, I can still call lightning, though it isn't as strong. Call fire, freeze things, I can't call up tornadoes anymore. I can do wand less magic, but not nearly as well, I no longer wake up each morning feeling like information was put into my brain during the night. I haven't had any visions or dreams in a long time, in simple language, I'm not brimming with power anymore. But it's almost a relief, that battle, I couldn't control that much power all the time. I'm just back to being an almost normal wizard again, and I like it, I know that's not helpful to say, but I like it so much more then that endless supply of power, ideas, visions, it was just too much." Harry looked up, Sirius was nodding slowly.  
  
"Yes, somehow you opened a huge door in your mind to those powers. They're always there Harry, muggles can't tap into them, but all those with magic can. You somehow broke through the wall, making a larger door for yourself then you normally have. It would have killed you, Ambrosius, Emrys, they both burned themselves out like that, they were unable to stop, that power cannot be controlled unless you've always had it. The thing that saved you was that backlash in the power you used at the end of the battle, you closed the wound in the wall, and saved yourself. Then, during that time in the Dark Castle, you were being tortured, and didn't have much time to worry about powers. But when you opened that door further then it was meant to be, that started up your Animagi form without you trying to get it. That too would have killed you if you didn't transform, and it drained more of you powers, the longer you kept it in your mind. When I took on the Phoenix power I was accessing a special reservoir of power, and I don't use it much, to keep from calling on too much from my own personal source. Be careful Harry, we don't want to lose you." Harry had been listening to Sirius with great interest, now he nodded and stood to go, he was supposed to be helping a patrol with organizing the arrival of Order creatures at the Fortress, to stop fighting among them in the Fortress they would all need to enter at different times and have different accommodations.  
  
"Hey Harry, do you want to go enchant the food for dinner?" Ron asked as soon as Harry got into the common room, Ira came up beside him.  
  
" I think Malfoy will look dashing with elephant ears." She commented, setting them all off into laughter. They had agreed that the twins could have the last two weeks of school, but until then…  
  
"Sure, just let me put my homework away and warn the House." Harry said, running up to his dormitory and depositing his books on the bed. When he got back downstairs Ron had just finished telling the Gryffindors not to drink the pumpkin juice that night, only water or soda.  
  
"Lets go, Invisibilatus!" He waved his wand over them as soon as they were through the portrait hole, and they were all invisible immediately.  
  
"What year do we normally learn that spell?" Hermione asked, she'd already looked through half the library and all their school books for it.  
  
"We don't." Harry replied, grinning at her shock, he ducked through a doorway woven into a tapestry and ran through the passage. They ended up just outside the door to the kitchens.  
  
"Then how did you learn it?" Hermione asked suspiciously as Ira tickled the pear and the door opened.  
  
"I found a certain book in the restricted section, and well…" Harry left the rest unsaid and Hermione's angry "humph!"  
  
"They don't teach spells like that for a reason, they don't want students using it. If you want to learn it you've got to break a few rules." Harry protested her glare. They hurried in, dodging around the busy house elves to the tables. The goblets were there, filled with pumpkin juice. Harry reached into a pocket and pulled out a tiny book, about the size of his thumbnail. Two taps of his wand and it enlarged to a full sized book. He flipped to the right page and read the correct spell to the other three.  
  
Ten minutes later they were out of the kitchens and running back through the passages and up to Gryffindor Tower. Outside the portrait hole Harry took off the invisibility spell and the climbed through. Ignoring the suspicious looks shot at them by everyone else in the common room. They'd been told what not to drink, but if the terrible three were going to do that, what else might happen? When one of the three, no four, Harry corrected himself, Ira had joined them, and been told about all their adventures, it felt as if she'd always been there. When any one of them went about with that certain maniacal smile on their face, the school shook in its foundations. That smile meant PRANK COMING UP in bold letters. To see all four, together, smiling like that, that meant major trouble. Harry might be drained of some of his powers, and a key person in the fight against Voldemort, but that didn't faze him any in his prank playing. The four gave eachother high fives and headed off to their dorms.  
  
"Ouch!" Harry sat upright, and found himself glaring into a pair of yellow/gold and green eyes and furred face. "Jewelanarah! (JEWEL-an-ar-RAH) he groaned and pushed the young Fire Lion out of his way and swung his legs around, someone was laughing behind him. He turned, no make that the entire dormitory was laughing. They were all standing by the door, he must have fallen asleep, though he'd only sat down for a minute.  
  
"Ha ha, very funny, break all my ribs by dropping a Fire Lion on me huh? Get em Jewel!" They all yelped and ran off down the stairs as Jewelanarah leaped playfully at them. She responded to her nickname and her real name, but Jewel took so much less time to say, and it was easier to pronounce. Harry grumbled unhappily, then checked his watch and realized that dinner, and their pranks, would start in ten minutes. He hurried out and joined Ron, Hermione, and Ira at the foot of the stairs.  
  
At last! Thought you'd just stay in your dorm and let us take the blame for the pranks huh?" Ron commented, Ira snorted.  
  
"Blame us? Not likely, there's no proof to show that we did it. And McGonagal can't get proof by asking the elves this time, they didn't see us either!" At that moment Hermione signaled them that they should turn around, Harry turned, Malfoy was coming, with Crabbe and Goyle, drat.  
  
"Uh oh, not again." Ron muttered, Harry flicked his eyes at them and tilted his head slightly, they got the message. Ira bent to tie a shoe near the doorway, the other three stood talking, apparently waiting for her. There were no professors near the stairway, they were all in the dining hall already. Therefore it would be safest to have a fight out here. But the trio just walked by, talking rather loudly about priggish Gryffindors.  
  
"Can't wait until they take a drink, oh that will be so nice." Hermione said, causing them all to stare, normally she protested their pranks.  
  
"Come on, don't want to be that last in, that'd be suspicious." Ira said, they hurried in as the last of the students entered behind them.  
  
"Go, drink it, dang! Not yet." Ron grumbled beside Harry, eyeing Malfoy, so far no one had taken a drink. Then a shout echoed up the hall, then peals of laughter. The four exchanged another round of high fives. In seconds the hall was filled with laughter and shouts.  
  
"There! He drank it!" Ron yelped excitedly, they all turned in time to see Malfoy grow elephant ears and a long, white, furry, ferret's tail and ears. Beside him Crabbe and Goyle had turned into disgusting, ugly, hairy, Yeti.  
  
Wow! Go Gryffindor Pranksters!" Dean yelled as soon as they were all in the common room. Harry Ron Hermione and Ira laughed at the praise coming from everyone and hurried out again and to a secret room on the stairway up to the tower where they could discuss the next prank. They had just reached the door when pain zapped through Harry's scar. He gasped and clamped a hand to it, blood started to flow out, he summoned the dream recorder without thinking as the pain increased. Visions flashed around too fast to be seen, the last thing he remembered was collapsing to the floor.  
  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _  
  
"It's killing him, and after him it'll spread, to everyone." Harry blinked and sighed, there was a round of whispers and Sirius was beside him.  
  
"Hey Harry." Harry gave them a weak grin, he was in the hospital wing Albus, Miranda, Sirius, Hermione, Ron, Ira, Snape, McGonagal, Aram, and Remus were sitting around talking.  
  
"What's killing me?" He asked, Sirius sat back down and Harry sat up, touching his scar and finding it covered in a thick bandage.  
  
"You've been out for four hours. Voldemort is using a very old, very powerful, dark spell. It starts up this sickness, it makes people feel all the pain they've ever been through over again, slowly, but constantly. It kills in the end, they went mad. However for some reason it has started with you and you are keeping it contained within only you. Your natural instinct to protect everyone around you." Harry could feel himself go pale, then his shoulders slumped.  
  
"And once I'm gone, it goes on, to the rest of the wizarding and muggle world, those who don't side with Voldemort die of it right?" Sirius nodded. Harry thought, what could he do?  
  
"Then it is obvious, I must attempt to correct those power stones." There were gasps, Harry tried to stand, and finally made it to his feet. Shaking his head at Sirius as his godfather attempted to push him back down. "I must, I know how." Albus got to his feet.  
  
"No Harry. You know one way, and that way will kill you."  
  
"Then I die, better that then everyone else too. With me dead, and no one else within twenty yards it will be gone." Harry snapped angrily, why didn't they let him go?  
  
"No! You will not do that to yourself! You can get through it, and you will. Find another way to correct them! I will NOT allow you to kill yourself Harry!" Sirius told him, his eyes boring into Harry's, Harry felt Sirius call up Voice Command and his Eye Power, and together they were too much. Harry couldn't have disobeyed however hard he tried. He nodded, letting Sirius know his anger by glaring at the other angrily. Sirius frowned, Harry turned away and left the hospital wing. Outside a thunderstorm massed on the horizon.  
  
Harry hurried up to his dormitory and through the wall to his rooms. In the room with the power stones he started up a fire in the center of the room and closed the door. He could feel Sirius projecting an image of everything he did back to the Order assembled in their largest meeting room. The students were assembled in the great hall. Everything that they needed to know, and no more, would be told to them. But they wouldn't get to see anything. He knelt on the floor and sank into a brief meditation, the fire roared higher as Harry added to it's flames mentally, now it was his powers that roared up high beside him, yet not burning him. Heat that could melt stone, but it wouldn't harm him. The thunder boomed and lightning flashed, Harry's uncertainty of his abilities grew. He really didn't know what he was doing, it was all just instinct. Then he stood, glowing golden with power and called one of the books from his library. This was a book of the most powerful ancient sells, written by Merlin himself. Harry flipped it open and found the right page. Examining it closely he tried to memorize what he might need to know. What he was going to do was a different version of this spell, and if it didn't work… That just didn't bear thinking about. Harry put the book down on the table and picked up the two stones and his knife. Calling up his lightning he vanished in a bolt of light. And reappeared on a treeless hilltop, in a circle of huge white blocks of stone. The stones stood upright on one end, all were the same size and rectangular shape, along the tops lay other large stones, making about fifty doorways. Outside this ring was another ring of stone, this one continued unbroken all around. Suddenly it began to glow, and pieces of the white stone vanished, making openings that became runes. And out beyond them were more stones, in a different shape. Harry was literally inside a small circle that was inside another circle that was inside a star. This star had twenty arms, five very large ones, five slightly smaller ones, and ten that were half the size of the largest ones. All built out of white sparkly stone arches, all connected, all evenly spaced so it looked, from above, rather like a star burst.  
  
Harry was kneeling in the center, a fire burning in front of him, and two stones in front of him and knife in his hand. Harry began a soft chant, once sung by the first of the druids, and used to call upon forces long forgotten. He sliced a long gash on the inside of his left arm with the knife and gathered the blood in his right hand. He then covered both stones in his blood. Still chanting he reached up and dragged his right thumb down across his scar, golden blood flowed out. Harry covered the power stone with it, and stopped his chant. The fire turned silver and the ground began to shake, above Harry a huge tornado came down around the hill, leaving him at its center. Lightning was zapping everywhere, then the bolts switched and all came at him. The sky glowed with the electricity and the ground at Harry's knees became scorched.  
  
"Ancestors of mine guide and protect me, for two worlds depend on my success." Harry whispered, calling up the last of his powers. The ground heaved and shook, the star glowed blindingly white, and the runes etched in the stones with acid turned shiny purple. The tornado grew and the roar of its winds was all that Harry could hear. Then the storm began to glow, all that power in it concentrated into lightning, and zapped down all at once into Harry. He screamed, and the power flashed down through his hands and blood into the stone. Leaving the one meant for Voldemort untouched.  
  
The stone gathered in the power, for a few minutes it began partially transparent, liquid-like. Harry summoned up all the power he could and hurled it into the fire, then he grabbed the stone that now floated in front of him, still dripped gold-red with his blood, and reached out into the fire, the stone sitting on his palm.  
  
Then voices started up around him, chanting even as he began the last spell. Faces swirled in the fire and storm about him, his ancestors, Merlin, Godric, Ambrosius, Emrys, they and him, they five formed the largest arms of the star. Then for the slightly shorter points there were the strongest of the leaders of the Order of the Phoenix. The greatest Phoenixes, who were not of Harry's blood. Then came the others, not as great, but important all the same. Their voices rose in a song-like chant about him, the storm and fire combined, now a funnel of flames surrounded him. Lightning blasted down, and Harry rocked as it threatened to shake him apart. Pain flared throughout him, but he didn't stop his spell. Then with a huge explosion of light it all vanished, and there was silence.  
  
Harry stirred, the force of the explosion had knocked him out cold where he knelt. He had a throbbing headache, the stars shone down on him, the fire had gone out. The storm was gone and with it the tornado. He realized he still had his hand out stretched, he looked at the stone, it was silver. His hand was fine, not burned at all, the blood had been burned off, but the skin left unharmed. He turned the stone over looking for the mark he knew would be there, on the bottom, in blood-red, was a lightning bolt. The other stone was white, but it absorbed light and didn't shine, making it look rather dark and sinister. Then the silver stone turned gold and began to pulse as Harry put some of his power into it. He sighed and closed his eyes, that last thing he remembered was toppling to the ground, completely exhausted.  
  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _  
  
"He did it, Harry did it! He fixed the stones!" The room where the order and watched the scene on the hilltop filled with cheers and shouts of joy. Harry's back in that room, we'd best go see if he's okay. Sirius said, he departed with Albus, Miranda, Snape, Remus, Arabella, Hermione, and Ron. Aram, Sertisa, and Sarlan would let the Order settled down a little before regaining order in the meeting room.  
  
They hurried up to Gryffindor tower, the students were in the great hall. Hermione and Ron showed the others how to enter Harry's rooms. They found him lying on his side, the two stones beside him, the floor around him scorched and charred, the stone melted and hardened, yet it hadn't harmed him.  
  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _  
  
"Shh! He's waking up!" Harry blinked once, and lifted his head a little, he was in the hospital wing.  
  
"Hi guys, ya miss me?" He asked, trying to sound unconcerned and amused by the worried looks on their faces. Their grins of relief told him he'd succeeded.  
  
"Back from dream land huh? Is it nice there?" Harry glared at Ira, who was sitting at the foot of his bed and grinning.  
  
"You missed the first day of exams you know." Ron commented, eyeing Harry for a response, he wasn't disappointed.  
  
"WHAT??? How? How long have I been out?" Harry yelped, trying to sit up, immediately the people sitting on either side of him reached out and pushed him back. He turned and glared at Professors Flairgold and Snape. Sirius on his right grinned at him.  
  
"Don't worry, you still have time to make it up." He assured Harry, grinning at Harry's dismay.  
  
"The stones? Where are they?" Harry asked, wondering which exams he'd missed.  
  
"Here." Dumbledore said, touching a large blue box beside him. Harry nodded, and looked around. Sirius, Flairgold, Snape, Dumbledore, Ron, Hermione, Ira, Sam, Fred, George, How did they get here? And of course Madam Pomfrey.  
  
"That lightning nearly tore you apart, all your muscles will ache and too much movement will be very painful for a few hours. It would be best for you to sleep until dinner, you can join the rest of the school then. Don't worry about the stones, no one can touch them except you. I tried when I put them in the box, they electrocuted me. Much more of it and I'd be dead." Albus said, sounding indignant, Harry grinned, the headmaster's fingers were bandaged and his hair looked a little frizzed. "Don't look so amused, they may not even let you touch them. You're sure they're working?" Harry nodded and, ignoring Madam Pomfrey's mutters, sat up.  
  
"Yes, they work, both of them, I just need a little time and practice." He flicked his wand at the window, soon his books came flying in. Harry directed them to a pile on the bed beside him.  
  
"We had Charms and Divination today, Transfiguration and Care of Magical Creatures tomorrow." Ron informed him, Harry groaned.  
  
"What is the Divination exam this year? Not more crystal ball reading I hope?" Fred and George exchanged rather evil grins.  
  
"No, this year you have to eat a raw and half decayed bat, then examine your puke for "mysterious signs and warnings of the fates". George said, Fred started cracking up at the look of faked horror on Harry's face.  
  
"You two are nuts! You don't even take Divination! Ugh! Raw bats? Where do you get these ideas? Ron what is it really?" Harry asked, turning away from the twins.  
  
"It's really absurd. She gives you a black piece of paper and a stick of white chalk. Then you're blindfolded and you have to make a score or so of dots on the paper. Then you find which constellation it most closely resembles. Then you have to tell her what that one means will happen to you." Harry wrinkled his nose in disgust, McGonagal look disapproving and exasperated.  
  
"You shouldn't be telling him what's on the exams Weasely. I'm sure Professor Flitwick and Professor Trelwany will not approve. All the students present except for Hermione snickered evilly.  
  
"That, dear Professor, is the point." Fred started,  
  
" Besides, you don't really care about what Prof. Trelwany approves of and doesn't approve of do you?" George asked kindly.  
  
" She predicts non-stop death for poor Harry here all year long, but he still gets As." Fred commented, smiling at her.  
  
" It'll make her day if he draws, say, a bloody knife?" George finished triumphantly, and they hurried from the hospital wing as the Professors all started glaring at once.  
  
"It'll be so much quieter around here when those two finally graduate! McGonagal said angrily.  
  
"Maybe a little, but you'll still miss them, and you have to live with us for a few more years." Harry said, gesturing to the four students left and grinning. The Professors as one glared down their noses at him. He shrugged and opened a charms book.  
  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _  
  
"Finally! We're free!" Ron gasped as they left the school and walked towards the lake.  
  
"Summer! And no more exams!" Ira yelled happily. They joined the other students by the lake, laughing and talking, house rivalries momentarily forgotten as they relaxed for the first time in two weeks.  
  
"So Harry, what are you doing this summer?" Hermione asked, for once not worried about work.  
  
"I guess I'm staying here, or maybe at the Fortress, the Order is moving there over the summer. Voldie's keeping his claws to himself for a while, so most of the Order is going on vacations. Miranda mentioned a trip to Egypt, and Sirius said we might go to that tropical island he was hiding out on for a time after escaping Azkaban." Harry replied, grinning as Jewel picked her way among students over to them and lay down near the water.  
  
"It must be nice to have some resemblance of a family again huh?" Ron asked, lazily petting Jewel, who soaked up attention like a sponge.  
  
"Yeah, and no more Dursleys." Harry said with a happy sigh. "Ouch!" Tiger had just walked across his face. He slapped Harry with a his tail and went to join Jewel, stretching out beside the Fire Lion, who was nearly three times his size, though not yet full grown.  
  
"It's to quiet around here, Fred and George aren't up to standard." Ron complained.  
  
"We gave them the last two weeks, and all they say they'll need is the last twenty four hours. So…" Ira said, grinning devilishly. They all exchanged looks and drew their wands. Harry nodded, they all simultaneously set off color spells. Shrieks and screams sounded. Harry shot a bolt of orange at Dean, turning the left side of his face orange. He retaliated with a shot of purple that Harry ducked. Soon the field beside the lake was filled with yelling students shooting bright colors at eachother. Harry, Ron, Ira, and Hermione quietly left the fray and headed around the lake to a large rock that hung out over the water. Jewel and Tiger followed them to safety.  
  
"Now this will make a good picture." Harry said, focusing a camera on the scene in front of the castle. Almost all the students, of all ages, shooting colors at eachother and laughing happily. You couldn't tell that not long ago they'd been fighting off the worst dark lord in history.  
  
"Now, what havoc shall we cause at dinner?" Ron asked, pulling their list from his pocket. "Hmm. 256? Give them all rabbit ears with that enchanted mustard?"  
  
"No good, we're having potatoes, rice, chicken, salad, soup, and ice cream cake. None of which require mustard. Is there any way to change the enchantment Harry?" Ira asked, Harry shook his head.  
  
"No, it's a potion that only works when it's reacting to mustard, Hermione discovered it in a potions book." He replied and leaned in to read.  
  
"I rather like 199, so long as we take the bushes from the forest it shouldn't matter." Hermione put in, turning towards the hedge that grew near the forest.  
  
"Great idea! Come on, no one's watching." Ron hurried off, Harry grinned and stopped where he was for a moment.  
  
Don't interfere Sirius. I assure you; you'll find it funny. Harry got a telepathic reply from his godfather, who he'd seen watching from a window.  
  
"Come on Harry!" He sighed and ran after his friends.  
  
That night during dinner everyone was entertained by nearly two score of bushes hopping around the great hall bouncing off people's heads and around on tabletops never spilling a thing, chanting insults at everyone they passed. While another score of bushes bounced around on the staff table singing the school anthem over and over again.  
  
You know Harry, Lupin, James and I did something similar, with crystal balls shouting out horrid fortunes at people. Harry grinned, Sirius was laughing himself silly. Most of the Professors just shook their heads and chuckled, in too good a mood to bother catching the culprits, they couldn't anyhow so it didn't matter. Snape was glaring at Harry with the usual loathing, nothing had changed there.  
  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _  
  
The last day in Hogwarts was almost torture, Fred and George used pranks 300-360 on the castle and students. No one got much sleep that night, to busy removing dungbombs, dye filled water balloons, ants and spiders from their beds. they dined amid Red and Gold banners with roaring lions on them. Fred and George agreed not to spoil the meal, but as for the rest of the day well…  
  
"Bye guys, don't forget to write. I'll tell you what's going on with Voldie when I can. Enjoy the summer!" Harry said, as he waved them off to the train.  
  
"We will, keep safe Harry!"  
  
"Bye Potter!"  
  
"See ya Harry!"  
  
"Enjoy the summer Harry!"  
  
"Good luck Harry!"  
  
" See you next year Harry!"  
  
" Good bye Harry!"  
  
"Still the most famous dude on the block eh?" Ron said grinning, Harry smiled back.  
  
"Don't say dude ever again Ron! It reminds me of cheap muggle tourists. " Hermione told Ron sternly.  
  
"Good bye!" Harry shouted as the train whisked them off, he turned back towards the castle, maybe he'd go flying.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Like it? If you did there's a sequel. It can be read on Fanfiction.net. It is called World of War, by Miranda Flairgold. It's even longer than this story, a lot longer, and maybe more violent? It's about Harry's sixth year, very good please read. If you like that one there is yet another, about Harry's seventh year. It's still in progress, updated frequently. It too can be found on fanfiction.net and it is called End of an Era, by Miranda Flairgold again. Thanks for reading and I hope you liked it!  
  
The crazed, obsessed, goddess of cool fighting scenes,  
  
Miranda Flairgold 


	10. Notice

NOTICE: If you liked this story, despite my poor grammar, the sequel book The World of War is also posted on fanfiction.net, click on the words Miranda Flairgold over on the upper left to access my little page. 


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